Testing the Vows
by EmmerzK
Summary: Life used to be simple. Life used to be easy. But whoever said that growing up, being the adult was easy, was most certainly lying. Responsibility and liability tend to take their toll on a young couple to begin with. But throw in twisted relationships, reveal truths buried by lies... and nothing is simple anymore. Sequel to Confessions of a Lovesick Viking. M for specific scenes.
1. Two Months

***cue epic fanfare* HERE IT IS! The epic sequel to Confessions of a Lovesick Viking! I have so much epic planned for this story and I simply cannot wait to get started! But let's start off with a little fluff, shall we?**

**Or is it? ;) Shall we begin my friends?**

**Testing the Vows**

**Chapter 1: Two Months**

Astrid Hofferson bobbed her left leg as she firmly stared at the knitting in her hands. She was almost amazed at how fast she was knitting; her fingers flew at a rate previously unknown to her, the needles clicking like tap shoes on a wood floor.

Every few minutes she'd glance up into the sky beyond Berk, toward the west. The occasional dragon and rider would fly by, but they weren't who she was looking for. She saw nothing of interest and looked back down at her knitting.

Three minutes later she repeated the process. Still nothing. She pursed her lips and tried not to growl in irritation. Already today she had gone to the town square with her mother to help a few ladies with a mother sale, which was when all the mothers of the village would trade items for motherly duties. She had no reason to be there of course; she just wanted to work, and they needed the help.

She also had gone to the bakery where Amelia, the baker's daughter, taught her how to bake bread, rolls and a few sweet things as well. Then she had trained a few twelve year olds in the Dragon Academy for a few hours alongside Fishlegs and Snotlout.

And then she decided to go home at a humble two in the afternoon, but there was nothing left to do aside from knit more clothing for expectant mothers in need.

She sighed heavily, glancing back up at the sky. Her knee bobbed at a faster rate until a hand rested on top of it, making it stop.

Astrid looked up to see her father sitting down in a chair beside her. "Relax, dear," Olaf smiled at her lovingly. "He'll be back soon."

His daughter fixed her gaze back on the knitting with a scowl. Her eyes flicked back to the sky for an instant, but she knew that the person she sought would not be found there. "Two months."

Olaf smiled and looked beyond their porch at a few people walking by. He held up a hand in greeting to a neighbor as he replied, "Astrid-"

"Two. Months." She bit out, wishing she was axing something and not knitting. She set the needles and yarn down none too gently and propped her arm on her elbow. "That stupid son of a half troll has been gone for two months, dad!"

Olaf grinned. "Stupid son of a half troll, eh? Sounds attractive."

Astrid rolled her eyes and slumped in her seat, utterly defeated. Olaf looked over at his daughter, nearly laughing out loud at her pouting expression. "I just want him back."

"And he'll be back." Olaf leaned forward to look into her eyes. "He didn't leave by choice; it is a part of his preparation to become chief. He had to go."

"I know."

"Then you must have faith that he'll return soon."

"He didn't say it would be two months!"

"He probably didn't know himself how long the trip would take." Olaf reasoned.

Astrid sighed again. "Or he did know and he didn't tell me because he knew I'd go with him."

Olaf laughed. "Oh no you wouldn't. Your future role is half the reason the son of the chief has to leave. He has to prove his worth to you and to the village. Show us that he can connect with other tribal leaders, he can negotiate with council men that he both knows and doesn't know, he can lead his people in a raid, and more. He has to prove that to a lot of people. Unfortunately for you, marriage doesn't come before that."

"I know, I know…" Astrid whined, looking off into the sky. "I just miss him."

Olaf smiled and patted her knee again. "He'll be back soon. Don't you worry."

Astrid smiled and nodded. She picked up her knitting again, feeling a little happier now that she'd gotten her frustration out. "Where do you think they are now?"

"Oh," Olaf looked out toward the sea. "No telling. Last we heard they were in Meathead Territory."

"That's not that far away, I guess." Astrid mused.

"Nope," Olaf nodded. "Give it a few more days. I'm sure we'll hear from him soon."

**Xxx**

Uproarious laughter surrounded the table at Hiccup's sarcastic comment. He gave a wry a smile before taking a drink. He liked the Meatheads, especially their chief, Kiev the Wise. Kiev was around the same age and size as Stoick in height and girth, but his hair was a dirty blonde, his eyes a deep brown. He truly lived up to his name—he was wise, kind and optimistic. But heaven help the poor soul that threatened Brawn, home of the Meathead tribe. Kiev was known to come out swinging fiercely and avenge the good name of the Meatheads at any cost.

Luckily for him, the Hooligans and the Meatheads had a tight, peaceful relationship since the beginning when both tribes settled in the Archipelago. Hiccup was really enjoying his stay so far; probably his favorite stop as of late. The people here truly appreciated his sense of sarcasm and humor, unlike most people he had come across in his life.

Gobber raised his glass as if to point at him. "And now tell 'em what you told me on your front porch! I've never forgotten that!"

Hiccup grinned at his mug for a moment before looking back up at the men. "I said, 'He never listens, and when he does it's with this disappointed scowl like somebody skimped on the meat in a sandwich." Then he broadened the stance of his arms and sat taller in his attempt to portray his father, "Excuse me barmaid! I'm afraid you brought me the wrong offspring!"

The Meatheads howled with laughter at his attempt to impersonate Stoick, who was currently shaking his head with a firm eye roll beside him. "I ordered an extra large boy with beefy arms, extra guts and glory on the side. This here? This is a talking fishbone!"

Kiev slapped his hand on the table in his laughter and Stoick wrapped an arm around his son. "I'd say that in this case I couldn't really ask for better or worse, son." The bearded man replied.

Hiccup pushed his arm off his shoulders, not wanting to bear the weight. "Touché."

"Touché, what is it with you saying that?" Gobber asked, making the young man smirk. "You've been saying it ever since you came across that bloody Anglo-Saxon!"

"French, Gobber." Hiccup corrected. "He was French and you know it."

"French, my foot; he was strangely dressed with an ungodly accent!"

"And such lovely flowing locks!" One Hooligan councilman named Horst mocked, flipping his hair over his shoulder.

Hiccup joined in the laughter with a shake of his head. "Yeah yeah, make fun of the guy. I thought he was nice."

"And that there is what you need to work on." Stoick rolled his eyes. "You're too trusting. He could've dragged you off with tales of dragons in some far off place and we never would've seen you again."

"Or you're just too close-minded. There are a lot of people out there!" Hiccup pointed over his shoulder with his thumb.

Kiev spoke up. "That there are, lad. That there are. You could learn a lot from the people you meet, but all those lessons won't necessarily be enjoyable. You'd be careful to keep that in mind."

Hiccup smiled and bobbed his head. "Yes sir."

Kiev slapped his forearm. "Stoick, I don't know what you always complained about. He listens perfectly fine."

"Attention span of a sparrow, if I recall," Gobber threw in.

Hiccup felt his mouth dry a little at the thought of his father talking about him to other tribal leaders. But he threw out his childish bitterness and spoke up, "Nah they're right. Took a long time to get my head on straight."

"Ahh, you don't give yourself enough credit," Kiev tisked his tongue, swirling his mead in his cup. "But every good leader is first a humble man."

Hiccup smiled. He could seriously see himself staying at the Meatheads for an extended period of time. He enjoyed their company and they seemingly enjoyed his. He could get used to it.

But there was a certain someone he knew he couldn't live without, even if he tried.

"But speaking of humility," Kiev interrupted other chatter, facing Hiccup. Hiccup's questioning eyes met his. "It takes a good dose of that to propose to a woman, wouldn't you say?"

Hiccup's undeniable smile could be seen all around, making a few men chuckle, but he looked at his cup instead of maintaining eye contact. "I couldn't agree more."

"Congratulations, lad." A few men lifted their glasses toward him, to which he nodded his thanks.

"When's the wedding then?" Kiev asked.

"May." Hiccup inhaled through closed teeth. "Pretty soon."

"Excited?"

Hiccup grinned, "Oh, beyond excited."

Kiev smiled and leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. "Tell us about her. What's she like?"

Hiccup breathed a laugh. "Oh, where to start…"

"Fierce." Stoick interrupted.

Gobber lifted his hand, "Devoted."

"Strong-willed," Hiccup added.

"Beautiful," Gobber smiled, making Hiccup's head snap up.

"Hey, that was my next one."

"Sorry, beat you to it." The men laughed at Hiccup's scowl.

Stoick nudged his son in the ribs. "Seriously though, she could run our entire village herself if she set her mind to it."

"Really?" Kiev asked, intrigued.

Hiccup nodded, raising his mug. "Oh yeah, she wouldn't need us around to help." Stoick and Gobber shook their heads in agreement, as did most of their councilmen.

One Meathead councilman asked, "Can she fight?"

Hiccup snorted, nearly choking on his mead. Stoick cocked his head at his son, "You should see all the battle scars he has from their time together."

"Ah, she broke you in fast eh?"

"No! Not like that!" Hiccup yelled suddenly, his ears burning. The men crowed in laughter, even his father, and he buried his face in his hands. "Oh gods, why me?" It took a minute for their laughter and for the flush in his skin to die out enough for him to raise his head. "Yes, she can fight very well. She can hold her own."

Kiev nodded in approval, "Sounds like you're all set to go then. You're on your last leg of the journey, about to head home. You ready?"

Hiccup breathed a laugh. "Oh, am I ever. I mean, I love travelling—meeting people, discovering new cultures. I guess it's always been a secret dream of mine. But I couldn't trade Berk for all that. And I couldn't trade Astrid for any of it."

"As if we'd let you do something like that anyway," Stoick added.

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the support." Kiev chuckled, but a flap of wings caught their attention.

A green Terrible Terror landed on Hiccup's shoulder, rubbing his snout on the young man's cheek. "Hey, buddy!" Hiccup picked him up excitedly, pulling off a note that was tied to the Terror's leg.

"Messages by dragon…" Kiev mused. "Very impressive."

"Isn't it?" Hiccup smiled, holding a mackerel out for the little dragon. "Would you guys excuse me?"

"Absolutely!" Kiev nodded, grinning when the kid nearly bounded out of his seat, the Terror at his heel. "Message from that special someone?"

Stoick nodded with a smile. "They've been sending each other messages since we left. Two grueling months, it's understandable. I'm almost thankful for it, for he'd go insane otherwise I'm sure. But at the same time I'm a wee bit jealous; we didn't have that privilege on our preparation travels." Stoick waved a hand with a rueful smile. "But hey, what does it matter?"

Kiev nodded. "So he really loves her then?"

Stoick shared a look with Gobber and chuckled a little. "His eyes just light up at the mention of her." He looked at Kiev with a serious expression. "He'd die for her in a heartbeat."

The fellow chief nodded approvingly. "A man willing to die for his beloved is a good man indeed."

**Xxx**

The winter air blasted Hiccup's face when he shoved open the Mead Hall doors. The bitter cold wind shoved his hair back and blew down his ears, freezing his skull. But he relished the cold—he hadn't realized how hot and stuffy it had been in there. But mead and a group of large, burly Vikings did that to you. He was lucky that for his size he could hold his liquor to begin with.

He leaned against a pillar as he tore open Astrid's note and squinted his eyes to read in the torch light emitting over his head.

_Hiccup,_

_Two months. Two months! Gods, you're killing me with all this time away. You must be pretty far off—the little Terror takes more time to come back every time I send him. But he's pretty faithful._

_You were at Styr in your last letter, but that was over a week ago. Where are you now? Are you still meeting interesting people, like that French guy? Only you would freak out over all the differences between people. It's almost like Fishlegs discovering a new dragon. Completely and utterly crazy._

_Kidding, kidding. Anyway, things have been going well here. I've been helping our neighbors and a few other ladies for the past few days and I helped Snotlout and Fishlegs train some newer kids. Oh, you should have seen them; they got to choose their dragons today. They were so excited! And the dragons bonding with them… Gah, it never gets old. I don't think it ever will. We'll be a hundred years old and still get excited over new trainees._

_Amelia also gave me some baking lessons this morning. I suppose if we're going to make this work, I should learn how to cook other than roasting a chicken right? I wouldn't want you to starve to death in our first winter together._

_Then again, I practically eat more than you do. How you survive I'll never understand._

_I've been trying to stay busy, but these past few weeks in particular have been hard. I miss you so much… Words can't even describe how much I miss seeing you every day. I mean I understand why you had to leave, but… two months?_

_You need to come home. Soon. Very soon. Right now would be perfect, but I can cope for as long as I need to. Just know that the longer you take to get here, the bigger the bruise on your arm._

_I love you so much and am counting the sunrises til we see each other again._

_Love,_

_Astrid_

_P.S. Yes, I know that was corny so stop laughing. I mean it, shutup before I bruise your other arm!_

Shoulders shaking from laughter, Hiccup slid to a sitting position and reread the note, his fingers lingering over the paper his fiancée had held in her hands a few days before. He sighed heavily, but not sadly. He too was ready to go home, to see Astrid again. His lips quirked when he reread her threat to punch him even though he was fully expecting it anyway.

Two months was a long time to be away from anything, but it was long, tiring and grueling when it was intentionally directed at one specific person. He remembered the morning he loaded up his bags on Toothless. His father, Gobber and the other councilmen were doing the same on their dragons and the ship. He had tried his best to keep the trip strictly dragon riding only as it would save time, but that was their argument—keep the ship to make the trip longer. This was intentional. He could keep Toothless and still fly him, but he couldn't get to islands before the councilmen and he couldn't return to Berk without the councilmen. He had to take this grueling journey as they ordered. And if he broke those rules, he would fail the mission, which would mean he, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third at age 21, would not be allowed to become chief anytime soon.

And more training didn't sound particularly appealing.

He had already said goodbye to his other friends, her parents and a few others who had come. But all those faded away when he looked in her eyes to see them filling.

Astrid stepped closer to him and straightened his collar. "Winter is only going to get colder from here, so make sure you bundle."

"You know I will." Hiccup rested his forehead on hers, thankful that everyone else had the decency to walk away and leave them alone. He gently pushed his fingers through her hair behind her ears.

Astrid gave him a small smile. "I put a bag of mint leaves in your satchel."

Hiccup breathed a laugh. "You thought of everything didn't you?"

"Surprised?"

"No," Hiccup shook his head. "You never surprise me."

"Never?"

"Nope."

"Never ever?" Astrid raised an eyebrow.

Hiccup laughed. "Well except that one time with my hair. You got me pretty good then."

Astrid grinned. "Enough to make you wipe out. Yeah, I'd say so." She gently pushed her fingers into his hair on the sides of his head, making him bite his lip, but he successfully made no sound. "You're getting better at containing that moan…" She whispered.

"Practice makes progress." He whispered back before closing the gap between them, fitting his mouth to hers and pulling her closer. Astrid wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her tiptoes to reach him better.

Hiccup didn't want to pull away, didn't want to leave. He didn't want to leave her alone for the next few weeks. But he slowly pulled his lips away from hers, leaving them cold in the chilly winter air.

Astrid held on to his tunic, her eyes pleading. "Please don't leave…"

"Sweetheart, I have to." Hiccup whispered back, kissing her forehead gently. "This isn't just for the village, this is for us. I have to do this."

A single tear beaded at the edge of her right eye, threatening to fall. But she smiled and nodded. "I know." She pulled him into a tight hug, burying her face in his neck. "Just promise me not to die."

He laughed, his mouth resting above her ear. "Never. But I can't promise no injury. I am a klutz after all."

"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of."

"Hiccup!" Stoick called from the ship, making the couple slowly pull apart. "Let's go before it gets dark!"

"I'm coming!" He called back, returning his eyes back to his fiancée's.

Astrid gave him a smile, choking down her tears that kept attempting to fall. "Write me?"

Hiccup leaned in and whispered, "I already did." He kissed her one last time and stepped away. Her hand slipped from his, meeting the cold air, the warmth of his fingers dissipating. She watched him climb on Toothless and give his father a nod.

Stoick and the men set off in the ship a moment later, but Hiccup turned in his saddle one final time to look at Astrid. She suddenly asked, "Where did you leave the note?"

Hiccup gave her his signature smirk and shrugged. "I don't know. Isn't that part of the fun?" He shifted Toothless' riding gear into position and his best friend took off into a steep dive off the cliff. Hiccup jerked backward in his seat, his muscles pulling as he strained to hold on. By the time they caught up with the ship and he was back in his seat, Astrid was a mere speck in the distance.

A sharp gust of wind snapped him back to reality, making his teeth chatter. The coolness of the mint in his mouth seemed to make the cold sharper and bite at the nerve endings in his teeth. Toothless lumbered up the stairs and lay down next to him with a tired moan.

"Where've you been?" Hiccup asked, scratching his best friend's scales behind his head. Toothless grunted something unintelligible and closed his eyes to sleep. Hiccup smiled, pulled out a piece of paper and his coal from his satchel to reply to Astrid's letter.

Ever since he proposed to her six months ago in August, he had taken up the habit to write her letters or little notes, and leave them in various places he knew she would be that day. Usually he would tie one to Stormfly's saddle or leave one on her porch, but sometimes he was more creative than that. But there was something about taking the time to write her a love note that was satisfying and enjoyable. And the smile on her face with each note only made it even more worthwhile.

He finished his letter and whistled to the Terrible Terror, who scampered over excitedly. Hiccup tied the note to its leg and a tie on his neck made his brow furrow. The Terror sat up almost proudly when he raised the small band and read, "Teggie".

"Teggie…" Hiccup grinned, scratching the dragon behind the ear. Teggie cooed and shifted his head to be scratched under his jaw. "Did the lovely Miss Hofferson name you that?" The little dragon jumped in his lap and licked his face, making him laugh. "Aw is that from her too? Well, give her a kiss for me when you get there okay?"

Teggie jumped out of his hands and onto Toothless' head, who opened his eyes a crack. He growled in annoyance, making the Terror sneer playfully in his face. The little dragon crouched, wiggled his behind for a second and took off into the air to take Hiccup's message back to Berk.

Hiccup watched him until he disappeared into the darkening sigh. He exhaled steadily with an open mouth, watching the cloud of moisture disperse in front of him. Movement from behind him made him swivel around, but he relaxed when he saw who it was.

Stoick sat down beside the pillar opposite his son, his lips puckered. "You let me get too close before you noticed me."

"Sorry. Just distracted I guess."

Stoick raised an eyebrow, not wanting to have to lecture his son. "I know you know this, but don't let something as simple as a letter distract you."

Hiccup gave his father a curt glance. "Letters aren't simple."

"I know they're not," Stoick looked out over the village of Brawn. "I'd just hate for you to fall by the hand of an enemy while writing a love note."

Hiccup smirked. "Oh trust me, so would I."

Stoick looked over at his son, his body relaxed against the pillar, his hand resting on Toothless' head. But his eyes were alert to any movement in the village. He had no reason to worry about Hiccup; he would be fine.

The chief of Berk faced forward again, his eyes watching a sentry on his night patrol through the village. He gave the man a nod when he raised his hand in greeting, which he was pleased to see Hiccup also return. No, he would definitely be fine.

"Are you ready to go home?"

Hiccup perked and he looked over at his father. He looked stunned for a moment, but he finally spoke. "Are you serious? We still have-"

"We have a Thing in a month. You will meet the rest of the chieftains then." Stoick gave his son a level look. "I think two months is long enough time away. Don't you?"

Hiccup's face broke into a grin which he couldn't wipe off. "Yeah! Yeah, I couldn't agree more."

Stoick smiled at his excited look. "We'll have to stay here for a few more days, but we can head home by the weekend."

"Sounds good to me." Hiccup nodded readily. "We just got here after all and I like Kiev and the Meatheads. I don't want to leave here quite yet."

"Good." Stoick stood and clapped his shoulder. "He expects great things from you."

"What else is new?" Hiccup asked with a light eye roll, but Stoick knew by his smile that he was joking.

Stoick turned back to the Mead Hall, but paused. "Oh," Hiccup faced him again when he turned around. "Kiev wanted you to do some archery practice with his daughter Svala tomorrow."

Hiccup jerked. "Daughter?"

"Now don't go getting your braid in a bunch. If you both are going to rule your tribes one day, you'll need a good friendship." Stoick reminded him. "She's a little over a year younger than you and she's very nice. But that's all there is to it; he's not trying to push anything more than that."

"And what about _her_?" Hiccup raised an eyebrow.

Stoick shrugged. "I trust you'll be kind yet firm if you need to be." His father then turned back to rejoin the men in the Mead Hall.

Hiccup sighed and faced the village again. He had run into many girls on his voyage (not that that was a huge surprise; men weren't the only beings in the world). And a great many of them had taken a great liking to him. However, many of the younger girls were quite upset that he was engaged. Needless to say he'd had his fill of crying and angry women—both eligible girls and their mothers.

It was a wonder some of the tribes still wanted peace with Berk by this point! The future chief of Berk had broken how many hearts in the Archipelago in a span of two months?

Hiccup rolled his eyes, but couldn't help the smile. Astrid would surely love those stories. At least no girls had… weeeell, there was that one girl… Okay, most of them hadn't tried to kiss him. Astrid would probably have blood on her hands by the end of the trip had she been allowed to come.

Hiccup shivered at both the thought and the nippy weather. He stood, stretched his tight limbs and nudged Toothless' snout with his boot. He walked away when Toothless didn't respond, knowing his best friend would know where to look to find him at an hour like this. As he walked to his sleeping quarters for his stay at Brawn, he only prayed this Svala character wasn't a flirt.

**Hooray! Chapter one is done! Hopefully I filled you in enough has to what exactly is going on here. But to answer a few possible questions, Hiccup is **_**not**_** going to take over as chief yet. But he has a bunch of formal training and checkpoints that he has to make before he's clear to really take over if necessary. But I'm not booting Stoick and I'm not making him becoming chief yet. Let's not jump the gun though, this is only chapter one! ;)**

**I hope you guys like it so far! Hiccup will be heading back to his true love soon! Unless she gets on Stormfly and goes to look for him herself with all this time away of course ;) Now that would be interesting. Don't forget to review and stay tuned for the next chapter, coming soon!**

**Thanks guys!**

**~EmK**


	2. Allies

**Wow guys, so sorry this took a bit longer than originally planned. But hey, here it is ;) Special thanks to my friend KateMarie999 for writing some of the dialogue in this chapter. I really wanted to capture a particular new character's personality; make sure you guys get her ;) She's going to play an important role later. Hehe**

**Let me know what you think!**

**Chapter 2: Allies**

After a long day of archery practice with Svala, Hiccup suddenly felt like he had prayed for the wrong thing entirely. He wished that Astrid's letter had come a day later so he could have told her all about those few hours because she would have been glad to know that Svala was not in any way a flirt.

Not that teaching her archery _wasn't_ a difficult feat.

She had smiled when she saw him saunter over, looking slightly awkward and hoping that he wouldn't have to fight her off or anything like that. His eyes widened when she came into view and he found himself wondering if he had walked up to the wrong woman. While Kiev was tall and blonde, at least as large as Stoick, Svala was quite small. She barely came up to his shoulder and, he suspected, she probably weighed a considerable amount less than Astrid. Her eyes were an odd purplish blue shade and her hair was auburn like his only quite a bit curlier.

"So you're Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third." she said, looking him up and down with mild amusement. "You know, the whole "horrendous" part of your name is kind of ruined by the, you know, Hiccup. Not so intimidating."

Hiccup had no idea how to respond to this so he decided to clear his throat loudly. She smiled even wider, revealing a row of straight, white teeth. Apparently dental care on Brawn was a bit better than it was on Berk.

"I'm Svala. You know... future chief of the Meathead tribe... why are you staring at me like that?" Svala asked, narrowing her eyes at him and attempting to look a bit taller.

"Uhh... no reason." Hiccup cleared his throat again, feeling even _more_ awkward, and picked up a bow and an arrow. "So Svala, which eye is stronger?"

"I kind of thought I was supposed to use my hands to shoot arrows but I guess I can give your whole eye thing a shot." Svala said, taking the bow out of his hands.

"No, that's not what I... I mean you aim with your stronger eye."

"Like I said, kind of an odd thing to do but you _are_ the expert." Svala chuckled at how flustered she was making him. After a few seconds in which his mind wildly searched for an appropriate comeback, she sighed. "I know what you meant. Thor, lighten up. You're all tense."

"Right, yeah. So which one is it?" Hiccup asked, feeling his voice crack uncomfortably.

"It's my left. So I guess this means I have to aim left handed?" she asked as she attempted to pull back her arrow with her left arm and looking very awkward while doing so.

"Uhh yeah, actually. You're catching on. So... right. Then you have to aim it." Hiccup said, feeling completely confused as to why he had been assigned this job in the first place when Svala seemed perfectly capable of teaching herself what to do.

"Well duh, of course I do. Am I doing it right?" she asked, her eyes occasionally flitting over to where he was standing.

Hiccup stared at her stance and was dismayed to notice that it was wrong in several places. But he wasn't about to go over and correct it the way Astrid had done for him. He stood there staring at her for almost a minute before clearing his throat again.

"Well you have to spread your legs farther apart. Yeah, like that." at least she hadn't needed him to adjust them for her. He sighed in relief. "Stand up a bit straighter. Like that, exactly." so far so good... "And lower your elbow."

Unlike him, she seemed to understand the concept of using her ab muscles instead of her arms to draw strength. This was definitely a good thing since he could not possibly think of how to word that particular instruction in a way that didn't sound incredibly awkward. Svala lowered her elbow and his heart sank. It was still in the wrong position.

"No, it's got to be higher than that." he said, taking a step forward. "No, now it's too high..."

"Oh for Thor's sake, I'm not going to bite you!" Svala exclaimed very suddenly, making him jump. "Just adjust my elbow as you see fit."

"Uhh... right." Hiccup gently put his hand on her elbow and lowered it in the correct position.

"You're really not good at this, aren't you?" Svala asked, her eyes alight with mischief.

"Archery?" Hiccup chuckled. "Actually, I'm quite dec-"

"No, I mean talking to women. You're almost as bad as my twelve year old cousin." Svala said with a smirk.

"Thank you for summing that up." Hiccup deadpanned, rolling his eyes. "You do know I'm engaged, right?"

"Yes and I'm starting to pity her."

"What? Hey!" Hiccup felt slightly offended. "Why are you tormenting me?"

Svala snorted, her arms shaking with suppressed laughter. "I don't know. You're easy to torment, I guess. I'm having a great time!"

"Well I'm glad _you're _having fun." Hiccup abruptly let go of her elbow, suddenly realizing that he'd been touching it for almost a minute. "Okay now focus on your target and... hey!"

Svala let go before being given the command. Hiccup was about to tell her that she shouldn't have done so before getting the proper instructions but he felt a bit sheepish as he saw the arrow sail into the air and land directly on the target. Svala turned back to him, smiling in triumph, and he huffed a bit.

"Okay you just got lucky that time." he said, crossing his arms and trying to give her the same sort of stare he received from Astrid when he disobeyed her orders.

"Are you tired?" Svala asked, raising an eyebrow.

Hiccup sighed and opened his eyes all the way. Astrid could be downright scary when she narrowed her eyes but apparently it just made him look ridiculous.

"No, I just... no." Hiccup smiled sheepishly. "All right, you seem to have the basic idea. I'll see you later the-"

"We're supposed to be friends!" Svala exclaimed quite suddenly, grabbing his arm and yanking him back. "Do you want our tribes to be at war with each other just because you refused to teach me how to shoot stuff?"

"No but... wait a minute, why _am_ I teaching you this when I'd just be giving you another way to kill me?" Hiccup asked, feeling a little mischievous himself.

"Because it's the gentlemanly thing to do." Svala replied without hesitation. "And once we sign the Peace Treaty, I won't be allowed."

In one month's time, all of the tribes of the Archipelago would be gathering to renew a Peace Treaty. The Meatheads would be hosting the occasion at their home island of Brawn. The Hooligans were their closest ally and had been for generations. Now that many of the tribal heirs were coming of age, the time to renew the Treaty was fast approaching.

"Right. But who's to say you won't refuse to sign it so you can exact your revenge on me as you see fit?" Hiccup quipped, a small smile tugging the edges of his mouth.

"You do make a compelling case against signing it. I'll have to reconsider!" Svala shot back, putting another arrow in the bow.

"Oh sure. Sacrifice peace between three tribes just to off one gangly future chief. You haven't even signed it yet and you're the one with the weapons. What's stopping you from just taking me out now?" he raised an eyebrow.

Svala narrowed her eyes at him. He took a few steps back. Her gaze was almost as frightening as Astrid's.

"If you keep telling people how and when to kill you, you're not going to be chief for very long." she chuckled, turning back and shooting her arrow into the clearing. It landed right next to the first. "Thank you for your pointers. I think I know what I'm doing."

"Does this mean I can go?" Hiccup asked, still unsure as to how much training he had to accomplish in order to satisfy his father.

"You can if you want. But why would you? We're having so much fun!" Svala chuckled as she inspected the feathers on the end of an arrow.

"Speak for yourself." Hiccup countered, trying to hide his amusement.

"Oh stick around a little while longer. I might fall, hit my head, and forget everything I've learned. Then you'd have to start from scratch." Svala winked at him as she twisted and hit another target.

"Actually..." Hiccup walked up to her and inspected her stance. "You're a really good shot. There's no way you haven't had lessons before."

Svala shrugged and sighed, a look of exaggerated defeat on her face. "You got me. I've been shooting at stuff since I was three. But dad said we had to be friends and he said you were good at archery..."

"And apparently _you're_ good at manipulation. Keep that up and you'll be at war with everyone." Hiccup chuckled.

"Well if I'm this good at manipulation, I can just make it look like Berk is at fault and annihilate you and our enemies without having to lift a finger." Svala raised an eyebrow at him. "But if we were _friends_..."

"You're such a woman." Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"Well running up with your swords flailing about works sometimes but you've got to be sneaky once in a while. I'm glad we're finally starting to accept the idea of female leadership. Took long enough." Svala rolled her eyes, her hand resting on an ornate dagger tied to her belt.

"You're finally making a good case for friendship. With my dragons and your manipulative nature, we could be quite the allies."

"Oh yes. I think we might give the Berserkers a run for their money."

"Definitely. Now I sort of look forward to signing the peace treaty. You won't be allowed to mess with us."

Svala smirked wide. "Oh I'll mess with you. Just not in the way you-" A loud dragon roar tore through the village behind her, followed by a few bloodcurdling screams and shouts. Svala faced the village, her eyes searching for anything out of the ordinary.

Hiccup was already jogging to the gate. "Come on!" He knew an angry dragon roar when he heard one and the following screams couldn't be good news.

Svala charged after him and if he had been paying attention, he would've been amazed at her speed for her small size. She caught up to him just as they entered the village square. Meatheads and a few Hooligans were looking around in shock, looking for the source of the cry. Kiev and Stoick were quickly walking down the stairs of the Mead Hall to see what was going on.

Hiccup slid to a stop at the edge of the square, the dragon roars still sounding from nearby. A couple of children ran around the corner of a house, screaming and arms flailing as they ran. Hiccup heard and felt the pounding claws before anyone else and knew it had to be a large dragon.

An angry Monstrous Nightmare tore around the house, sending a few wooden carts and barrels flying. Svala ducked to the ground when a barrel flew close to her and Hiccup, but all he saw was the Meatheads raising bows and swords, poised to attack.

Hiccup broke into a run into the middle of the square as the Nightmare reached there. The Meatheads prepared to release their arrows when he jumped in between them and the dragon. "STOP!" Hiccup raised his hands, praying they wouldn't shoot or he'd be killed.

"Hold your fire!" Kiev shouted almost simultaneously. His men held their arrows and the furious dragon stopped his charge right behind Hiccup, a cloud of dust billowing around him.

Hiccup nearly sighed with relief but the dragon's heated breath on his neck made him turn. "Hey hey, it's okay-" The Nightmare reared its neck and blew a blast of fire at him; Hiccup ducked and tumbled out of the way before the fire pillar hit him. He popped back up between the archers and the dragon, placing a calming hand out to each party. The archers looked ready to shoot and the dragon needed serious placating. "Wait! Wait."

"That foul beast!" A man shouted from the crowd and Hiccup gave him a calm, level look. The man's wife stood beside him clutching the two children who had run away from the giant fire breathing lizard. "He tried to kill my children!"

Hiccup shook his head. "No, there has to be an explanation. Dragons don't act up unless they feel threatened or-"

"They're not people!" The man shouted again, a few Meatheads nodding in agreement. "It even shot at you, the 'impressive dragon conqueror'! How do you honestly think these beasts can be tamed?"

"You give them respect just as you would want respect." Hiccup replied patiently, the Nightmare still seething behind him. "They are no different than people. You have to give them chances just as anyone else."

"That's ridiculous-"

"No it's not. If your son hits his sister, you give him another chance to do better."

"After being disciplined!"

Hiccup smiled a little. "But you don't beat your son. Why is a dragon any different?" The man crossed his arms, not entirely convinced. Hiccup turned his head back to the Monstrous Nightmare, his expression calm. "Hey big guy, it's okay." He noticed there wasn't a saddle on the dragon, which meant it probably wasn't trained yet. That wasn't the definite answer, but a good possibility.

Kiev noticed from the stairway that Hiccup had no weapons on him; he saw a few weapons lying in the dirt between Hiccup and his daughter, so he assumed the young adult had dropped them while running over. He watched along with his people as Hiccup gently reached his hand out to the dragon.

The animal narrowed his eyes and hissed at him, making Hiccup pause. "Shh… I'm not going to hurt you. Trust me." He stared unblinkingly into the dragon's eyes until it seemed calm, his outstretched hand relaxed. The Nightmare stared back at the human, sensing no danger, but his instincts told him the opposite.

"This is a waste of time." The one man called from the crowd, making the dragon break eye contact with Hiccup in agitation.

Hiccup looked back at the man, slight agitation in his voice. "Just give him a chance." He looked back at the dragon, his arm starting to ache from holding it up above his head toward the large dragon. "Come on… If I could befriend a Night Fury, I can befriend you too," he whispered.

He remembered that first time Toothless allowed him to touch his nose. But it wasn't his doing; Toothless made the final move. Hiccup had had to gain his trust first, show Toothless that he meant no harm; but he had to trust Toothless not to attack him as well. It was reciprocal.

Hiccup exhaled heavily, closed his eyes and turned his head away, just as he had with Toothless all those years ago. Many of the Meatheads stared in shock, waiting for the dragon to bite his arm off. But the attack never came.

The Monstrous Nightmare stared at his hand almost curiously for a moment before resting his nose on his palm. Hiccup's face broke into a smile and he looked back up at the dragon. A few gasps of shock and murmurs ran through the crowd as he stepped forward and began to scratch the dragon under its chin, making it purr.

"See?" Hiccup's smile grew. "Not so bad now, are you?" Toothless bumped his hip, making him scratch his head for a moment. Then the future Hooligan heir turned to the man and his family. "Come here."

The man stared at him and the dragon untrustingly, but Hiccup held out an arm. "The best way for you to bond with a dragon is by trusting him first. Give him a chance; allow yourself to step away from Viking tradition just for a moment. You'll be surprised with the results."

This was his message. This was his passion. To prove to all the tribes in the Archipelago that dragons and humans could bond, could unite as one, could work together as _family_. This is what he lived for. This is what he wanted to fight for. He had already lost a leg for it; he'd equally lay down his life for it.

Kiev and Stoick smiled proudly when the man escorted his family close to the dragon along with a few more people. They listened as Hiccup gently encouraged people forward, gave people tips for dragon training and more. Soon the entire village was buzzing with activity, people trying to re-bond with their dragons with gentler tones and no weapons. Hiccup even walked around a bit to give pointers to people or even help a few people decide on names.

"He's going to be a great chief, Stoick." Kiev nodded firmly. "No question about it."

Stoick nodded in agreement. "I almost wish he could start tomorrow, but he's not _that_ ready."

"No, I think he'd rather just stick to getting married right now." Kiev joked, sharing a laugh with his friend. Svala walked up the steps with an eager smile and stood in front of her father with a bargaining expression.

"Daddy, I want a dragon. What do you think?"

Kiev chuckled, "Dear, I am fine with that. But you had better ask Hiccup that question, not me. He's the dragon expert."

"Oh come now, surely you have a preference or some inkling of an idea as to which dragon I should choose?" Svala picked at a fingernail. "We've only known each other for twenty minutes. He can't know me that well."

Stoick scoffed lightly. "You'd be surprised. Hiccup has most people figured out with a single conversation."

Svala raised an eyebrow. "You sure have a lot of faith in him. Sure you're not biased?"

"Ask for yourself." Stoick nodded toward the bottom of the stairs, where Hiccup was allowing some kids to give Toothless a belly rub.

"Alright." Svala turned on her heel and yelled down the stairs, "Hiccup!" The young man looked up at her along with a few more people. "I need a dragon! Which kind would you suggest?"

"Deadly Nadder, hands down." Hiccup replied immediately.

Svala pursed her lips, and Stoick nudged Kiev in the arm with a "told-you-so" expression. "How do you know?" She asked skeptically.

"Oh that's easy," Hiccup smirked. "You choose a dragon type based on similar attributes between you. You have a few similar characteristics with a Deadly Nadder—beautiful, confident, loyal, dependable, and a good dash of pride. Now you just need to pick the right one."

Svala's mouth dropped at his analysis, especially on the word proud. Their fathers snickered behind her and she stomped down the stairs, Hiccup's smirk widening. "You skinny little priggish son of a-"

"Ah ah!" Hiccup pressed a firm finger to her lips, nodding to the wide-eyed children beside his dragon a few feet away. "Think of the children. Wouldn't want to be a bad influence, would we?"

Svala's eyes narrowed to thin slits, making him take one step down. "Your snarky sarcasm is going to get you into trouble one of these days, mister."

"Oh trust me, that's the story of my life." Hiccup deadpanned before turning on his heel. Svala watched him walk away for a few moments before he called over his shoulder, "Come on, are we finding you a Nadder or what?"

Svala smirked and jumped down the remaining three stairs to catch up with him. Toothless stood and ran after his best friend, the children giggling and screaming at the back of his tail (which only made him run faster in a panic).

Kiev slapped Stoick on the shoulder. "Yup, our generational alliance isn't going anywhere. What were we worried about?"

Stoick shrugged. "I haven't the faintest."

**Chapter 3 is mostly done so I'll try to post it in a few days, but not today ;) hehe This chapter was pretty fun to write. It wasn't originally intended but I found it necessary to give you guys an idea of Svala, Kiev and the Meatheads. It turned out quite nicely!**

**I hope the Svala/Hiccup banter was as enjoyable to read for you as it was for me! Again, thanks KateMarie999! ;D Now I know what you're all thinking: "Is Svala going to get between our beloved Hiccstrid?" I'm going to be honest and say…**

**Spoilers ;D MUAHAHA! You'll just have to wait and see. I promised you drama, I'm gonna give you drama! But drama takes many forms. Just keeping you on your toes ;) Heh heh heh…**

**Ch3 coming soon! Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, PMs, compliments, constructive criticisms, suggestions, etc! You guys are amazing!**

**~EmK**


	3. Passion

**Oooo 14 lovely pages! Longer than usual; that's nice! This chapter should eliminate some of the angst floating about out there concerning a **_**potential**_** love triangle ;) However, I won't answer any plot questions directly right now bc I gotta keep you guys guessing. hehe But this chapter's quite a good read Hehehe**

**Thanks again to KateMarie999 for being my awesome Beta and making sure things don't get too toasty in the oven ;D heh heh**

**Chapter 3: Passion**

"Okay, now we're going to push these into the oven, like… yup, just like that."

Tuffnut's blue-gray eyes widened at the three sight of three bread loaves sliding into the oven to bake. Amelia took a mitt from the countertop and pulled another pan of loaves out, making him jump.

"Whoa! Should you be doing that?"

"Tuff, I've been working here since I was eight." Amelia smiled sweetly at him, tossing the hot fresh loaves onto a cooling rack. She placed her hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm teaching _you_ remember?"

"Heh… Yeah. Right." Tuffnut smiled in a trance at her stance, but quickly blinked and looked away before he'd lapse into an incoherent state again. He tended to do that at random times when she wasn't looking, but occasionally it would happen when she was even talking to him face to face. He was lucky not to have been thrown out at this point.

Amelia smiled, her white teeth flashing brightly. Tuffnut's heart melted; it wasn't often that she smiled with her teeth. She usually just had this cute, sheepish little smile on her face. He remembered the first time he made her grin and he about keeled over with feels. He'd never admit it out loud of course, but he was head over heels for her.

"Come here," Amelia gestured with her hand for him to stand beside her. He strode over and stood beside her, unsure what to do next. She picked up each of his arms, rolled up his sleeves, her gentle smile and his gaze never leaving her face.

She released his arms and the moment evaporated. "Now what?" He asked.

"You go over there and wash your hands, then I'll teach you how to knead bread."

"Need bread?" Tuffnut stopped in front of the wash basin. "Oh honey, I always need bread. Do you know what would happen to this village if I never ate-"

"No no," Amelia faced him with another grin. Tuff nearly sighed at her look. "Knead. Like you massage the bread to make it ready for baking."

Amelia lost him at massage, and he quickly turned away to wash his hands. "Oh." He only replied, hoping the blush on his cheeks would be gone by the time he turned around.

Unfortunately it wasn't.

"Are you okay?" Amelia asked, her smile faltering. "Your face is really red."

"Yes! Of course, I am perfectly fine and not in the slightest bit embarrassed by anything you may have said and that I thought, which would be completely absurd for any-" Amelia pressed a few fingers to his lips, making him stop talking.

Amelia smiled and nodded. "Okay." His blush was gone, so she spared him the exhaustion of a long explanation. "I wouldn't want you to pass out on me, so don't get too worked up. Now, back to bread."

Amelia was pleased to see that Tuff learned how to do things very quickly. He was making his own loaves of bread within minutes of baking. Most people wrote him off as stupid, ignorant and still a teen in some areas; but she saw a young man who was active, smart, energetic, funny…

But what she liked most about him was his determination. Once he set his mind to something, he saw it through, even if he had to fail a lot in order to succeed. She saw something beautiful in that—he wasn't afraid to fail, to get up and try again.

The only thing that could probably use a little change was his desire to see things burn or blow up. That wasn't bad in a battle scene, but he and his sister had been caught way too many times with burned down buildings. And neither claimed it was accidental.

He took pride in the destruction of almost anything, but she had discovered months ago that he felt even more pride when he made something. A few months ago, some families had lost their homes to a fire, and she had delivered bread and water to the working men. Tuffnut had been nailing a roof together when she arrived, and while he had nearly broken his neck as he scrambled down to see her, she couldn't help but notice his smile of satisfaction at how the house's foundation turned out. She had discovered later on that he had built most of that particular house on his own.

"Is this too small?" His voice interrupted her drifting thoughts.

She looked over at his loaf and smiled, "No, that's perfect! You could round the edges a little bit more at the top, but it looks great otherwise."

Tuffnut nodded, quickly fixing the loaf. "You know..." Amelia looked over at him, still kneading her loaf. "You and baking aren't such a horrible mix."

"Nah. Maybe I just have a good teacher." Tuff smiled but looked back at the dough.

Amelia bit her lip. It was crazy how shy he was when giving her any kind of compliment. "Aww… thanks. But it isn't just me. I have to say that Baking with Buffnut has been quite the adventure."

"Bahaha!" Tuffnut roared suddenly, making Amelia laugh with him. "Baking with Buffnut! Yes!" He threw a floury fist into the air in a victory cheer. He then turned to her with a huge grin, "Someday, we're going to open our own bakery. And it's going to be called-"

"Baking with Buffnut." They said together, both grinning widely. His smile suddenly faltered with another thought as he turned back to the counter. "That is… _if_ you wanted to do that of course."

Amelia paused, yet suddenly smirked. She leaned her back against the counter with her arms crossed and looked up at him. "Are you proposing?"

Tuffnut's eyes widened. "No!" Then he paused as if he couldn't make up his mind, "Wait… No. Yes? I guess I kind of am aren't I? I mean, no! I'm not… not directly? Yes I am but without a direct question to it. Does that make any sense at all?"

Amelia laughed through his spiel, loving the look of his face reddening the more he rambled. "Yeah."

He finally slumped in half relief, half embarrassment. "Meh." He leaned his hands on the countertop and looked at his big lump of dough sitting on the counter. "Sorry if I embarrass you a lot."

"You don't, trust me." Amelia elbowed his arm. "I like hanging out with you. I thought you knew that."

"I do!" He looked back at her. "I just kinda wish I could teach you something too, I guess. Kind of return the favor for the baking lessons since I almost burned my house down."

"Oh you don't have to…" She smiled nervously at her shoes. "Just spending time with me is enough."

Tuffnut's face warmed along with his smile. He wished he could think of something cheesy or romantic to say, but he wasn't Hiccup.

The opportune moment passed and Amelia went to check the bread in the oven. Tuffnut kicked himself in the shin with his opposite heel, knowing he really missed a perfect opportunity.

As Amelia reached into the oven, she asked, "So you never did tell me why your house almost burned down."

"Yeah I did, remember?" Tuff leaned against the countertop as she walked by. "I was trying to bake bread."

"Why when you could just as easily buy some here?" She smiled at him knowingly.

Tuff shrugged. "I guess I wanted to try it out. I mean, how…" Gods, was he really about to say this? "How does a guy try to impress the baker's daughter when he can't even bake?"

Amelia's face relaxed and she almost "aww'd" right in front of him. That was the sweetest thing she had ever heard him say. "Oh Tuff…" She smiled and stood in front of him. "You impressed me long before we even started talking."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Amelia stared back into his eyes, nearly having to bend her neck all the way back to do so. She was short for most women on Berk, and he was pretty tall. His chin nearly cleared her head, but not quite.

"You know…" Tuff started, scuffing his shoe against the floor nervously. "I could take you for a spin on my Zippleback sometime. I could teach you how to blow things up. What's that smile for?"

"Oh I just think your sister would kill me for taking over her half of the dragon," Amelia smiled. "Besides, no amount of Hiccup's nagging could get me on a dragon. I prefer the ground."

Tuffnut shrugged. "If dragon boy couldn't get you in the air, then I guess that's that."

Amelia stared at the fibers of his green tunic for a moment before taking a chance. "But… I think I've thought of something that we can learn together."

"Oh? What's that?"

Amelia gently grabbed the front of his tunic, standing on her tiptoes and pulling him in for their first kiss.

Tuffnut froze, unable to breathe, unable to think. The girl he really _really_ liked… was kissing him! What does one do in such a situation!?

Amelia pulled away just as gently as when she began the kiss, staring up at him with a loving expression. "Anyway, Baking with Buffnut sounds like a good title." She whispered.

Tuff stared at her, his heart still pounding but he managed to think of a response. "Does this mean we're getting married?"

Amelia laughed whacking his arm with her floury hand, making him smile. "I wouldn't say yet, but most definitely a step closer."

Tuff's eyes glanced down to her lips for a second before he decided to take a chance. He raised a dusty hand to her cheek, his thumb gently gliding across her cheekbone before he started to lean down to her.

"Wow, dinner and a show!"

Tuffnut yelped and jumped back in shock, nearly knocking a rack of bread over, but Amelia caught his tunic in time. The couple turned to the door to see Astrid and her mother standing there with huge smiles on their faces.

Amelia pulled her hair behind her ears with an almost shameful expression. "Sorry ladies, what-"

"No no, it's fine!" Astrid stepped closer to the counter. "Hiccup and I got caught in worse places, trust me." She leaned over the counter to whisper, "But you might consider taking him to the back next time." She gave her a wink, making Tuffnut roll his eyes with a grunt.

Amelia moved her fingers across her bangs again, which Tuff had long ago realized was an act of nervousness, but her smile was genuine. "What can I get for you ladies?"

Phlegma stepped closer to the counter from another row of bread rolls. "We need two of your freshest loaves, two sweet rolls and-"

A familiar high pitch noise interrupted Phlegma and as the seconds wore on, the volume increased.

Tuffnut was the first to speak. "Is that-"

"HICCUP!" Astrid shook her mother's arm before bolting out of the bakery. Her eyes searched the sky rapidly, looking everywhere for her Night Fury friend and fiancé.

The duo flew right over her, the wind from Toothless wings blowing her hair in all directions. "Hiccup!" She raced through the village square, wondering where they would land. People cheered when they flew overhead, but made room for Astrid to run through and get there first.

Hiccup was finally home!

**Xxx**

Hiccup, Stoick, Gobber and a few of the councilmen rode their dragons on the way back to Berk, everyone just as eager as the Hooligan heir to get home. The ship was far below them but keeping the same pace as the dragons, the leaders insistent as always that they stay together.

Hiccup held the rim of his saddle tightly in his fingers, wishing he could just leave these people in the clouds. He yearned to see Astrid the closer they got to Berk, but now that the island was in his sights, he could barely contain himself.

"There she is." Horst sighed from a little behind him on his Changewing.

Stoick nodded. "I wonder how things have held up."

"Well it doesn't appear to have burned down at the hands of the Thorston Twins." Gobber remarked. "I'd say we're in good shape."

Hiccup squirmed in his seat, pressing his lips together. He prayed they wouldn't make him stay right beside them until they landed. Berk was still a good two miles ahead of them, which Toothless could clear in half the time they were presently moving.

He decided to keep silent and wait it out. The gongs would sound their arrival soon, he'd see Astrid very soon, and he just needed to relax…

"Can I go now?" Hiccup heard himself ask suddenly, felt himself turn to Stoick with a questioning gaze. So much for keeping silent.

Stoick raised an eyebrow at him, but his son's questioning green eyes broke his resolve. "Fine."

Hiccup nearly squealed, snapping Toothless' riding gear into position. "Come on, Toothless!" The Night Fury roared in excitement, all too eager like his rider to leave the others and fly freely at their own speed. The duo swooped into a steep dive to gain speed and they were soon out of hearing range.

"So much for a grand entrance," Gobber snickered.

Stoick shrugged. "He's working hard and he hasn't asked for much on this trip. We can spare him this."

Hiccup flew Toothless close to the rooftops, all too aware that the Night Fury's sonic was ringing across the island and his massive black wingspan was startling people out of their wits, but he was all too eager to land and find Astrid.

Toothless circled outside the village in a wide arc before touching down in an open area. Hooligans ran toward them with cheers of excitement at their safe return. Hiccup's hands shook in his excitement as he unlatched his riding gear and slid down from the saddle.

"HICCUP!" A particular beautiful blonde crashed into him, nearly knocking him off his feet and the air out of his lungs. Toothless caught the couple with his shoulder, hoisting his clumsy rider back to his feet.

Hiccup wrapped his arms around Astrid tightly, hoping he wasn't squishing her. "Astrid!"

Astrid stepped back, the grin still on her face, but she balled her fist and whacked him on the arm. "That's for the long time away!" Hiccup grinned at the knowledge of what was coming next. She pulled his lips to hers, holding her chilled hands to his face as she kissed him. "That's for coming back."

Hiccup smiled, unable to take his eyes off of her for even a moment. Her eyes were just as bright as he remembered them, the snow coating the ground making their color pop. "I missed you." He whispered.

"I know…" She wrapped her arms around his neck for a tight hug that nearly strangled him, but he didn't care. He was home, he had the love of his life in his arms again, his best friend at his back. What could be better?

The flock of Hooligans standing around cheered, clapped and raised their weapons to the sky when Stoick and the councilmen swooped in for a landing nearby. Astrid didn't pay them any heed though; the only person she truly cared about was in her arms. She stood tall and looked back up at her future husband and cocked her head. "Something's different…" Then it hit her. "You cut your hair!"

"Yeah I did…" Hiccup fluffed it with a hand. "It was getting too long so I cut it. But I may have gotten a little carried away."

His hair normally covered his ears in long shaggy strands, but his hair was only two inches long. It was still a little shaggy and thankfully his bangs still covered his forehead—all in all he didn't look that much different. Just enough to notice a change.

"Well," Astrid smirked. "Let's see then." Hiccup bit his lip as she pushed her fingers through his hair, twisting her fingers at the back. She felt him lightly shiver, but he made no sound or movement. "You're getting better."

"Or I'm just containing it for the sake of the audience." He whispered, to which she rolled her eyes.

"I like it. I miss the length in the back and I can't make more braids, but I'll get used to it." Astrid sighed, resting her arms on his shoulders.

Hiccup rolled his eyes, "It'll grow back."

"Hence the reason I'm not all that worried about it."

Hiccup looked around at the village, taking note of structures and the people standing around. "Doesn't look much different."

"Nothing happened while you were gone. Probably the two most boring months of my life." Astrid whined, taking his hand in hers.

"Aww… I'm sorry." Hiccup pouted at her with a big poochy lip.

Astrid narrowed her eyes. "Put that thing away before I rip it off."

"You wouldn't." Hiccup smirked. "But I know what you would do."

"Enlighten me."

Hiccup was about to do just that when his name was shouted from the group of Hooligans nearby. He slumped but looked over at his father. "Yes?"

Stoick walked over and laid a hand on Astrid's shoulder in greeting. "We'll be having a council meeting tomorrow morning, eight o'clock." He frowned at Hiccup's pouting expression. "Don't give me that look. It's not like you have previous engagements."

"What if I do?" Hiccup dared. Astrid slapped his arm, to which he laughed and shook his hand, which got caught by her ring. "Kidding. I'll be there."

"You better be. Don't start shirking your responsibilities now."

"I won't, I won't," Hiccup growled at his father's retreating back. "Sheesh."

Stoick walked beside Gobber a few steps before he remembered something else. "Oh, and Hic-" he stopped midsentence. Astrid had his son rather preoccupied with an all too sloppy kiss that he didn't want to witness, so the chief just turned back around and kept walking.

Gobber stood rooted to the spot. "Wow, almost as bad as you and Val." Stoick grabbed his friend's arm and yanked him away.

"Shutup Gobber."

"Really now-"

"No, _really _Gobber. Spare me."

**Xxx**

"Brr… Could it get any colder? I'd like to keep my spleen, if that's okay with you!" Hiccup shouted to the clouds as he and Astrid jogged up the steps to his house. In the last hour since he'd returned home, the wind and snow had picked up. Why hadn't anyone told him a storm was coming?

"You'd survive without your spleen." Astrid remarked. "Now your face on the other hand? His face is off limits, no offense." She waved a hand to the sky.

Hiccup smirked as he opened his front door, letting her walk inside first. "Considering my face is touched most by the cold, I'd say that's a tall order." He walked in after her and closed the door, shaking his hands to return feeling to them.

Cold fingers pressed to his cheeks suddenly and Astrid said, "Touched most by the cold or by me?" She pressed his mouth to his and shoved her fingers up through his hair, making him moan and nearly slide to the floor. She held him up by the wall, not letting him slip from her grasp so easily. Hiccup pushed his foot into the floor and returned to his normal height, determined to get a grip on the situation.

He slid his hands across her ribcage and up her back, making her press closer to his chest with a deep sigh. She laughed when he slid his mouth to her jawline, kissing below her ear and moving his way down to her neck. "Promise me something…" she murmured. She pulled his face back to hers and she stared into his eyes. "Never leave me again."

Hiccup smirked and shook his head. "Never." He gently caught her lips with his for a moment before holding her close to his chest. "Never."

Astrid deeply inhaled his scent of leather and mint, nearly sighing when his lips brushed her neck again. "Stop it you, or else we'll never stop."

"I can't stop." He sighed into her ear.

Astrid giggled, pulling him up. The mischievous look on his face was enough to make her shiver, but she matched his look with a smirk. "Yes you can. It's called self-control."

Hiccup shook his head. "Yeah, I think I left that in Brawn-" He tried to kiss her again but she jumped out of his grasp. "Hey come here!"

"Nope, don't you think you've had enough?" Astrid walked away from him.

"If I had had enough at some point, don't you think I wouldn't have asked you to marry me?" Hiccup chased after her.

He caught her by the wrist and she tried to pull away. "Touché."

Hiccup's eyes widened and he suddenly jumped in excitement. "You used the word! You used the French word!"

Astrid's eyes widened and she sat on the couch with an interested expression. "Oh boy, a story. What happened?"

"Oh man," Hiccup placed his hands in his hair, his green eyes bright. "We were… where were we? Oh! We were in Styr! Peaceful village, nice people. Anyway, they had a trading ship come in from a place called France. I guess it's some country east of the Anglo-Saxons or something…" Astrid bobbed her head in interest. "Anyway, I met this one guy. He was… interesting to say the least. They wore the strangest clothes and their Norse was pretty limited, not to mention hard to understand with their accents. But they wanted to trade the craziest things-" Hiccup sat down beside her on the couch and launched into more tales about the French and their traded goods.

Astrid bobbed her head as if an excited five-year-old was talking to her, a big smile coming to her face at his excitement. She had missed him dearly while he was gone, but she was so glad he got the opportunity to go. He had always wanted to travel at least a little someday.

He suddenly stopped midsentence and Astrid raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Nothing, I just haven't kissed you in five minutes." He leaned forward and planted a kiss on her lips, making her laugh.

"Oooh five minutes," She drawled. "That's a long time."

"Two months waiting! I'm trying to make up for it." Hiccup leaned in again, but she pulled away.

"You're ridiculous. If you keep doing this, you're going to get sick of kissing me."

Hiccup grabbed her by the waist and yanked her toward him, making her yelp. "I will _never_ get sick of kissing you. Ever."

Astrid trailed a finger behind his ear and down the back of his head, effectively giving him goosebumps and sending cold shivers down his spine. "Even so, you can't just keep kissing me whenever you want."

"And why not?"

Astrid cocked her head to the side, her eyes tracing his jawline. Hiccup watched her, a small smile playing on his lips. "Because I said so. And we both know that I always win."

"Oh really?" Hiccup wrapped his mouth around hers in a fierce kiss then made her stomach twist. He tugged her to him, his arms wrapping firmly around her back so she couldn't pull away. She pushed his shoulders away with her hands but he still managed to hold her close. Astrid laughed, still struggling but he wouldn't relent.

Astrid caught his bottom lip between her teeth and bit down hard enough to hopefully make him pull away. He moaned loudly at the action, fiercely grabbing her lips again with his, wrapping his hands around her waist to pull her closer. Astrid pushed his back to the couch and slid her right leg over his so she was sitting in his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. Hiccup bit her upper lip, making her gasp and her stomach soar. Loving the response, he did it again, and suddenly was immobilized when her hands shoved up through his hair.

"Astrid…" He murmured into her hair when she placed her mouth on his jaw. "Whoa!" He laughed when she suddenly bit his neck, making him jerk. "Now now, don't get too feisty."

"Why?" She looked at him, her expression heated. "I thought you liked feisty." She placed her mouth over his, feeling his jaw relax against hers. He rested his head on the back of the couch as she kissed him, drinking in the feeling of her mouth on his, the smell of mint on her breath, the warmth of her chest against his. He pulled his lips from hers and placed them on her neck, making her bend her head to the side and sigh into his ear.

Her fingers twisted through his hair, pulling a loud sigh from his throat and making him kiss hers more passionately. His lips reached the top of her collarbone and he ached to move farther, but he forced his lips to travel back up her neck instead.

"Hiccup…" she whispered into his ear.

Hiccup lifted his face from her neck and looked into her eyes. "What?"

"Can we just be married already?"

Hiccup gave her a gentle smile. "That's probably my only regret for this moment. The all too real fact that I still have to wait three months until you're mine."

Astrid smiled, resting her forehead on his. "Soon."

"Soon isn't soon enough."

Astrid couldn't agree more. She closed her eyes to remember everything about this moment—their closeness emotionally and physically. Life could only get better from here, but sadly there was a wait. She opened her eyes and gently kissed him on the lips.

Hiccup hummed a sigh, unsure which category of kissing he loved more—the slow passion or the fast passion. They had performed a fair share of the slow passion before, which seemed to move mountains in all its grandeur. All it took was one kiss from her to make him feel invincible, like he could do anything.

The fast passion category was rarely touched between them, as they didn't want to end up going down a path that they couldn't turn back on. But he couldn't deny the fiery surge in his chest he felt when she would grab him, run her hands through his hair or bite his lip. There was something about it that was just a little too intoxicating… which was the danger of it when you weren't married yet.

He mentally shrugged; it really didn't matter all that much. In reality, as long as he was able to spend all the time in the world with his best friend, the love of his life, who really cared about all the specifics?

**Xxx**

Stoick opened the front door to his house an hour later, the gusty wind blowing snow through the house. He firmly closed the door, stomped his boots for a moment and walked through the living space toward the fire to warm his hands.

Hiccup and Astrid were sitting on the couch beside each other comfortably, wrapped in each other's arms. Hiccup's head was propped on top of hers, fast asleep. Astrid was awake however and caught his gaze. "Hi," she murmured.

Stoick nodded, not wanting to wake his son with his booming voice. Hiccup always had been a light sleeper and he knew the kid was exhausted. The chief got a few fish ready for the fire and waved to Astrid in question to ask if she wanted anything. She stuck up two fingers in response, so he added the desired number to the pan.

"How was the trip?" She murmured as he threw the fish on the fire.

Stoick nodded. "Good. All went according to plan, with the exception of a few rogue dragons here and there."

"How'd he hold up?" Astrid blinked in Hiccup's direction.

Stoick sat down with a tired sigh, his feet aching. "He completed all the tasks required and passed everything necessary. I'd say he did well."

Astrid smiled, rubbing her thumb against her fiancé's wrist. She was excited that he had passed everything. The next thing on the agenda was the wedding. Wait… no, the Peace Treaty was next month. She mentally sighed. And _then_ they could get married.

Stoick noticed her expression. "You look annoyed."

Astrid exhaled a short puff of breath out her nose and bobbed her right shoulder. "This might sound girlish, but I'm just ready to get married already."

Stoick chuckled. "So would Hiccup's wish for the same thing also qualify as 'girlish'?"

Astrid laughed. "His fear of spiders is girlish. But I wouldn't say that is." She tried to look at him, but didn't want his head to fall off hers and give him whiplash. "We're just excited I guess."

"You two have been together for a long time," Stoick replied as he flipped the fish, sending a loud sizzle through the room. "There's nothing wrong with being excited."

"No, I suppose not." Astrid agreed. Hiccup suddenly inhaled deeply and shifted, his eyes squinting from the firelight. "Good morning, sleeping beauty."

"Dad, why don't you cook that a little louder?" Hiccup whined, resting his head on the back of the couch.

"I could make you cook your own food, but I wouldn't want you to poison yourself." Stoick replied.

Astrid snickered and elbowed her fiancé in the ribs. "Yeah, we wouldn't want that. Knowing you, you're just lucky you don't choke on a bone every time you eat fish-AH!" Hiccup pressed his fingers in to her waist, making her laugh. "Stop it!" She slapped his shoulder, making him stop.

"Then stop making fun of me." He smirked, running his other hand through his hair. "Man, I am never going to get used to this. I'm practically bald."

"No you're not," Astrid reasoned. "You have enough hair to clothe a pig."

Stoick laughed out loud, not even trying to hold back. Hiccup stared at her. "What! I do not!"

"I'm just kidding-" Astrid laughed, but Hiccup stood up.

"Nope! I'm not talking to you after that one." Hiccup shoved a finger in her face, making her go cross-eyed for a second.

"Aww, are you pouting wike a wittle baby?" Astrid asked as he walked away.

Hiccup faced her again and pointed playfully. "I am going to tickle you in submission if you don't-"

"Ohh Astwid and daddy were making fun of me…" Astrid began, her poochy face diminishing when he stomped back over to her. Astrid leaped up and over the couch, running away from him. Stoick watched her run to the door and try to open it, but Hiccup slammed it closed before she could run out.

Hiccup leaned against the door with his arms crossed. "I believe you owe me an apology-"

"I owe you nothing."

"Okay, you did it-" Hiccup grabbed her wrist and yanked her toward him.

"No!" Astrid cackled, trying to yank away.

"To. Your. Self!" Hiccup wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her with him and dug his fingers into her sides, making her crumple with laughter.

"Gaha Hiccup STOP! STOICK!" Astrid screamed at the top of her lungs, but Stoick made no move to save his future daughter-in-law. He just watched with a grin as his son tickled Astrid until they were both lying on the floor. He hoped no one would barge through the door or his son probably would get another concussion.

"_That's_ for making fun of me." Hiccup finally released her, his face hot from the laughter.

Stoick returned to the fish to pull it off the fire before it burned. "And here's where I pretend I'm not here," He muttered to himself.

Hiccup then kissed her lips and pulled her to her feet. "And that's for everything else," He winked.

Astrid pointed at his chest. "You just recycled my catchphrase."

"And you just gestured to all of me." Hiccup kissed her forehead before walking to the stairs. "I'm gonna take all this gear off. Be back in a minute."

"Okay." Astrid stared after him for a minute before sighing loudly. Her sides and stomach hurt from laughing so hard.

"Keep breathing, you need the oxygen." Stoick said from his spot by the fire.

Astrid rolled her eyes, "Thanks chief, I forgot."

"So much sarcasm in this house!" Hiccup shouted down the stairs. "I love it!"

Astrid and Stoick rolled their eyes in response. Astrid looked around the Haddock home with a happy smile, wishing she could just stay. She felt like she was at home with the comfort of Hiccup in the house with her. She couldn't wait to just get married and spend every morning and night with him. But like all good things, she knew the wait would be worth it.

"Hey, so when are we picking a house?" She called up the stairs while pulling a dagger off the wall to inspect it.

Hiccup trudged down the stairs in a more comfortable tunic. "Well we could start tomorrow after the council meeting."

"You could even pick a completely new location and we'll build one." Stoick suggested.

Hiccup poured three mugs of mead from a barrel and set them on the table. "I was considering that. I'm fine with it unless we can find an empty place that's a decent size."

"I was planning to bring that up as a suggestion in the meeting tomorrow." Stoick replied as the couple sat down across from him. "With us being gone for the past few months and the wedding around the corner, we're going to have to crack down on these wedding plans, getting you a place, and everything else."

The couple nodded through their mouthfuls of fish, each contemplating the various preparations they would need to work on very soon. Both were eager for the Peace Treaty to be done and over with so they could focus on the wedding entirely, but they knew stress levels would spike once the Treaty was actually over.

"It's a fun deal…" Hiccup mused, inspecting his fork. "Getting married."

Astrid's head suddenly shot up and she looked at Hiccup excitedly. "I meant to ask you ages ago but I completely forgot! Do you still have any of that gold?"

Hiccup pursed his lips and slowly nodded. "Yes, I think there is still a little in the forge. Unless Gobber used it. Why?"

"I was thinking… that you should try to make yourself a matching band." Astrid held up her left hand which held the ring Hiccup had made for her.

Hiccup smiled. "You think so?"

"I think it'd be nice. But no diamond."

"No, no bling for me." Hiccup shook his head. "Not my style."

Stoick scoffed. "Matching wedding bands; it'll never last."

Hiccup shrugged. "Every tradition has to be replaced with new ones at some point."

"And what better crazy person to start new traditions than this man right here?" Astrid held out her arms to Hiccup.

"Yeah, what better-hey!" Hiccup pouted.

Stoick rolled his eyes as he stood. "You two are a riot; it never ends. Now quiet down and eat your fish."

"Yes dad…" The couple pouted over their fish simultaneously and began picking with their forks, looking rather bored.

Stoick had half a mind to wallop their behinds. "Thor, how old are you both?"

Astrid stifled a laugh and Hiccup swallowed thickly, trying to hide a grin. "Six?"

Stoick walked away to scrape his plate, leaving his son and future daughter-in-law laughing at the table. "Odin's beard, one would think I was babysitting."

***happy sigh* First kisses, passionate kisses and family sarcasm. It doesn't get much better than this, folks! Gave you guys some lovely Hiccstrid in this chappie as well; hope you likey. Chapter 4 is in the works, so stay tuned! Thanks again for all the fabulous favorites and reviews!**

**~EmK**


	4. Breathless

**Alright guys, I had some issues with this chapter before. If you have read it already, go to the section where Hiccup talks to Stoick and read to the end—all of that is NEW. I made some changes based on some reviews, and I had to agree that Astrid needed a little more time to make her decision. More will come in the next chapter.**

**Please check out the new stuff and feel free to leave me a new review. I want to know if you guys like this better or not. I changed it for you after all! I was sorely tempted to leave it! :P The things I do for you people haha ;)**

**Chapter 4: Breathless**

March. Hiccup wasn't one to complain about the cold, but if there was one month he hated, it was March. Only three weeks after returning home, and he was practically begging for spring to come. He was sure he was about to lose the remaining toes he had left due to the frigid weather.

As if his upcoming wedding had nothing at all to do with his begging for spring.

All in all, he was itching to get things started. He and Astrid had chosen a new location to build a house from scratch, but they had to wait until spring to start building for obvious reasons. Some of the men helping him with building plans kept jabbing him in the ribs at the prospect of building an extra room or two as nurseries.

He was excited to get married, yes. But children? That was a whole different game. But he couldn't deny the warm feeling blooming in his chest at the thought of starting a family with Astrid one day.

Toothless walked beside him through the bitter cold, munching on something in his jaws but cooing innocently. Hiccup finally stopped and sighed. "Alright big guy, what's in your mouth?"

Toothless sat on his haunches and cooed again, looking away from his best friend. "Toothless, I mean it; what's in your mouth?" Hiccup stood on tiptoes as best he could with only one foot and tried to pull his dragon's head down.

He managed to grasp the harness and pull his dragon's head down. The gangly Viking yanked, pulled and coaxed, trying to get the Night Fury's jaws open. Just then, Astrid decided to walk over with her Deadly Nadder, Stormfly.

"What are you doing?"

"Gah!" Hiccup flailed, his prosthetic slipping on ice. "Astrid! Your stealth never ceases to amaze me."

"Uh huh, I've noticed." She crossed her arms. "That doesn't answer my question though."

Hiccup flicked a hand out to his dragon, who was slumped on the ground, rebelliously clamping his jaw down. "He won't spit out... whatever is in his mouth."

"Ah, how unfortunate. Let me help," Astrid smiled, getting on her knees in front of Toothless. "Toothless, look at you!" She pet his hide and Hiccup furrowed his brow. "You are such a strong, amazing dragon! Yes you are, look at you!" Hiccup's eyes widened when Toothless sat up and began to prance in place, his tail wagging around and knocking barrels over. "Yes, aren't you just so special! Can I see what's in your mouth?" Toothless lovingly rubbed the side of her face with his snout and spit the object into her hands.

The young couple's expressions matched in disgust. "Aww poor little bird…" Astrid frowned.

"Toothless!" Hiccup crossed his arms. "What did I tell you about trying to eat the messenger birds!" Toothless growled playfully and ran away, nearly knocking his rider over with his tail in the process. "Gods, I hope that bird didn't belong to anybody specific."

"Doesn't matter. You'd be paying for it either way." Astrid dropped the dead creature in a nearby fire pit and wiped her hands off on her skirt.

"Don't remind me. I didn't know you were such a charmer."

"You forget who you're engaged to." Astrid smirked, stepping closer. "Do you need a reminder?"

"Oh ho, you know I would love one…" Hiccup started in a flirtatious voice, but stopped when a few Deadly Nadders flew overhead. The riders in particular caught his attention. "Why are those kids riding? It's too cold; I thought we made that clear?"

Astrid sighed in annoyance. Those three particular 14-year-olds were Berk's newest riders, and because the weather was so cold as of late, Hiccup (as the still-present head of the Dragon Training Academy) had decided that no new trainees were to be flying.

"Toothless!" Hiccup called, jogging to his dragon as Astrid jumped onto Stormfly. The couple was in the air within seconds, chasing after the teenagers. There was one girl and two boys, all three trying to perform reckless tricks that shouldn't be attempted with such limited experience in the summer, let alone in the winter.

The couple pulled up on either side of the trio. "Hey kids!" The teenagers ducked their heads as if they could hide. "All three of you, land! You're losing privileges."

The three gave the adults identical smirks and the girl, Kallie shouted, "You know, I always wanted to race a Night Fury! Race you, Hiccup!"

"No NO!" The girl twisted her dragon into a steep dive while the boys took off in opposite directions. Hiccup growled and waved Astrid to follow one of the boys. He pressed Toothless into a dive himself, shooting after Kallie at top speeds.

The icy winds numbed his hands and face within seconds and he wondered how the teenager was hanging on. He was catching up to her when she turned in her saddle to look for him. She arched her dragon back towards Berk and pressed him to go faster; the dragon screeched in pain at the awkward flight patterns, but tried to obey.

"Kallie! You need to land! Now!" Hiccup shouted when he was flying parallel to her.

Kallie laughed, "Come on, Hiccup! This is amazing!"

"It's not safe for you to fly right now! Land before I make you land!"

"Seriously-" Kallie started.

A dragon screech sounded above them and a boy's voice shouted, "WATCH IT!"

Right above them, Hiccup and Toothless saw one of the boys diving too fast in his attempt to escape Astrid. Toothless barely managed to barrel roll out of the way. The boy's Nadder knocked into Toothless' tail, throwing Hiccup and his Night Fury out of control for a moment.

"Steady, bud! Steady!" Hiccup managed to regain control quickly and looked down at the boy now swooping back to the village. "Idiot. Kallie, are you-" His eyes froze on her dragon, flying ten feet below them, squawking in confusion. But his heart nearly stopped at the empty saddle.

Hiccup pressed Toothless gear into place, snapping them into an immediate dive. As they began the plummet, he saw her falling through the air. He could faintly hear her screams from their distance and from the corner of his eye he saw Astrid diving after her as well.

"Come on, Toothless! Faster!" Hiccup yelled, urging his friend to go faster. But he knew Toothless couldn't go faster. He pressed his body as close as he possibly could to Toothless to give them more speed. But Kallie's scream stopped when she smacked the water and plunged into the icy depths.

"NO!" Hiccup and Astrid yanked up on their dragons before they too dove in. Toothless and Stormfly barely cleared the water and turned back around as fast as they could back to the spot where Kallie disappeared.

Hooligans shouted from the cliff face and many people boarded dragons or ran down the gangplanks. Astrid's hands shook in fear; everyone had witnessed the chase and the accident. Hiccup stared down at the water, praying she would return to the surface as he had as a little boy. But every second waiting was a second off of her life.

"Astrid!" He yelled, her head snapping to look at him. He pulled off his coat, tossing it to her.

"What are you doing!" She cried, barely managing to catch it.

His teeth were already chattering in the icy cold winds and he visibly shook as he looked down at the water. He yanked Toothless' gears into position so he could fly on his own for a few minutes. "Being an idiot. Pull me out when I surface."

"Hiccup, NO!" Astrid cried as he jumped feet first off of Toothless. His dragon roared in shock when he did, but Hiccup had already hit the water by the time either thought to move.

He nearly screamed in terror when the feeling of ice-cold daggers shot through his body. The height of his fall plunged him ten feet below the surface. He felt his arms and legs numb, his brain screaming for reprieve as he felt himself sink a few more feet.

But the thought of the teenager dying at the temperatures of the Arctic Ocean kicked him into action. He was determined; he would not return to the surface empty-handed. He had to find Kallie, and that was his only driving force. He turned upside down and managed to look down. Ten feet below him, he saw a body sinking to the darkness below.

Pain ripped through his body with each stroke, darkness clouded his mind, his heartbeat pounded like a war drum in his ears and he couldn't feel his limbs. But somehow he managed to grab Kallie's shirt and drag her to his body.

Astrid and Toothless hovered over the water hoping and praying Hiccup would return and hopefully with Kallie. Astrid glanced up into the sky, knowing some people were boarding their dragons to help and Stoick was on his way, but she didn't know what else they could do. If Hiccup and Kallie didn't resurface-

No. He would come back up. He had to.

Snotlout was the first to swoop down to her level from the cliff face. "What's he doing down there? Having a party?"

Astrid turned to snap at him when Hiccup suddenly emerged from the water with a loud gasp of pain, Kallie slung over his shoulder.

"Hiccup!" Astrid urged Stormfly forward. Toothless crowed and dove down to his rider.

Hiccup tossed Kallie's limp form onto his dragon's saddle, plunging himself underwater again in the process. A firm hand grasped the back of his tunic, pulling him up onto Toothless. He didn't even think to thank anyone or look behind him, he was shaking so badly. "T-Toothless, g-go…"

Astrid and Snotlout followed Toothless as he flapped up the drop-off. Hiccup held onto Kallie the entire (thankfully short) flight, his body rigid, his teeth chattering, his clothes icing over. He couldn't feel anything, but could feel his body starting to shut down.

Toothless' feet pounded on dry land and Hiccup nearly fell out of his saddle. He tried to make his limbs function properly as he pulled Kallie onto the ground, but he tumbled to the ground in the process. Astrid was at his side instantly, holding Kallie up. She felt around her mouth and gasped. "She's not breathing."

Hiccup's head pounded but his pain diminished at her words. "No." His numb fingers felt around her mouth and nose. "No no no no… Kallie! Come on, breathe!"

Snotlout jumped from his saddle and yelled to the nearest person running toward them. "Go get Gothi! Now!"

Hiccup and Astrid sat there blankly, hearts pounding, unsure what to do. She wasn't breathing, so they couldn't just sit there, but what could they do?

Hiccup's thumbs wiped water off the girl's face, his hands shaking. "This is my fault."

"No, Hicc-" Astrid started.

"These kids are my responsibility, Astrid!" He faced her, his green eyes wide in fear. "I didn't catch her-"

"Kallie!" A man's voice boomed from nearby. Kallie's father. He could be seen running through the flocking crowd of people. Hiccup visibly shook, more from fear of facing her parents than the cold. He looked down at Kallie's still form, her blue lips. And suddenly an idea bloomed in his mind.

"Lay her straight." He quickly set her head firm on the ground, her arms at her sides.

Astrid stretched her legs out as ordered and stared at him, confused. "What are you going to do?"

"Something crazy." Hiccup bit out before pressing his mouth to Kallie's. Astrid and Snotlout stared in shock for a moment before he sat up and pressed down on Kallie's chest. He didn't know what he was doing, but he hoped it would at least do something. He pumped his palms over her heart a few more times before blowing more air into her mouth. The teen still lay limply on the ground.

"Kallie!" Her father shouted again, his voice high and tight. He slid to a stop across from Hiccup as he sat up, began pumping on her chest again. He stared in terror at Hiccup's pressing movements. "No, baby wake up!" The man held her face in his hands, a broken sob escaping his lips. His wife sat behind her daughter's head, her hands holding her hair and face ashen.

Hiccup's pressing became harder, faster as moments ticked by, turning to minutes. "Come on, Kallie! Please breathe!" He desperately cried.

Astrid wrapped her arms around his chest and pulled him back. He hung his head in defeat. "Kallie…" he whispered, his eyes never leaving her face. His throat constricted, his chest tightened… this was never supposed to happen. He should've done more to keep the teens away from their dragons; he should've stopped her from flying sooner or caught her in the air.

Astrid rested her forehead on Hiccup's shoulder blade, her body trembling from shock. Snotlout stood behind them, his expression blank. He turned away at the parents' sobs and waved the people away to give them space.

Hiccup exhaled in resignation and he looked away from Kallie's face. But even when he closed his eyes, her pale skin, blue lips and slack expression haunted his vision.

A strangled choking sound tore from Kallie's throat suddenly and her body convulsed. Astrid was the first to shout, "Sit her up!" Her father shakily pulled her up to his chest and she suddenly coughed long and loud, water spilling from her mouth.

"She's alive!" Her father shouted with a cry of relief. The Hooligans shouted with cheers of joy around the group; her mother hugged her family close with tears running down her face. Hiccup relaxed against Astrid, his heart pounding with relief. Kallie was alive. There would be no burials this night.

Kallie's father placed a hand on Hiccup's arm with a thankful expression on his face. "Thank you..." The man whispered. "Thank you."

Hiccup patted the man's arm with a short nod before suddenly sneezing. "Wow… sorry." His teeth suddenly chattered and his frozen state came to his remembrance.

Astrid wrapped his coat around him hurriedly. "Always have to be a hero and do something stupid."

"Can you blame me?" He whispered, violent shivers running up his spine. She took his hands in hers and blew on his fingers to keep them from freezing.

Gothi and Stoick finally entered the circle, both having to run from their previous locations to get there. Gothi first checked Kallie, whose teeth were chattering against her father's chest. Gothi only gave Hiccup a stern look before standing and waving them toward the healer's house.

Stoick helped Astrid pull Hiccup to his feet, which was a feat in and of itself considering how frozen his limbs were. His father shook his head with a sigh, "Never a dull moment, Hiccup."

Hiccup managed a smirk, his lips cracking from the cold. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

**Xxx**

Hiccup was finally relieved to go home a few hours after sundown. He'd spent the first few hours in front of the fire, Toothless at his back and Astrid at his side, until his body returned back to a somewhat normal temperature. Thyra, Berk's healer, made him and Kallie eat hot soup, which helped their insides to thaw. She then made both of them sleep for the rest of the afternoon, much to his chagrin and despite his obvious exhaustion. Astrid nearly dragged him into one of the bedrooms and after he promised to stay put and sleep, she went home to get some things done. Toothless curled himself around the foot of the bed while his rider slept.

Now they trudged home through the icy winds at a steady pace, Hiccup hugging his coat closer to his chest. Since his midmorning polar bear swim, he had finally made up his mind—he hated winter. The bitter cold, the howling wind that froze your bones and made your almost 22-year-old joints feel like they were 80. Stupid winter. Cursed, frozen, stupid winter.

It had gotten very dark very fast, as it usually did in the dead of winter, and Hiccup was in no mood to go flying. If he did, he was likely to get frostbite. He smiled in greeting to the few people he walked by, including Tuffnut and Amelia talking outside the bakery. He would've stopped to tease his friend, but he wasn't in the spoiler mood either. He glanced over to his right and saw Stormfly resting next to the storage shed. Grinning to himself, he put a finger to his lips, hoping the dragons got the message, and snuck into the shed.

Astrid was standing a few feet away, holding up a small torch and looking through some of the game that had been hunted earlier that day. Even from the back, Hiccup couldn't help but stop and stare, taking in the sight of his beautiful fiancée. Her long hair was loose after a day's worth of activities and several strands hung down next to her usual braid. The torchlight accentuated her curves, making them stand out to him a bit more than usual. His heart raced. Was this really the woman he would be marrying in a few short months? He was surely the luckiest man in the world.

And then he noticed something else. She was shivering. Well he'd soon fix that. He tiptoed over and slipped his arms around her waist.

The next thing he knew, her elbow slammed into his stomach, making him yelp in shock and pain. She let out a high pitched scream, sweeping her leg between his, making him fall to the ground in a heap. She grabbed the collar of his shirt and a dagger poised in her other hand. The light of the fallen torch dwindled and he feared the worst.

"It's me!" Hiccup cried, throwing both hands in front of his face. "It's just me! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

But the look on her face made him stop and stare. Her eyes were wide with fear, her teeth clenched, and her eyebrows furrowed. She was panting and trembling quite violently now. He wasn't sure if she was angry or terrified. She looked to be a strange combination of both. For at least a minute, they stared at each other in silence. Hiccup could hear his heartbeat in his ears; he had never seen her look like that before and all he had done was walk up to her and try to be affectionate.

"Astrid, I-"

Astrid let go of his shirt and shook her head, her lower lip trembling. She took a deep, shaky breath.

"I'm sorry, Hiccup, I just…" She looked as if she wanted to say something, her body still tense. She watched him as he stood, but she suddenly shook her head. "Nothing. I-It's nothing."

Hiccup frowned and tried to step closer to her. "Whatever it is you can tell me. Astrid?"

Astrid walked around him toward the door. She paused beside Stormfly but didn't spare him even a simple glance. "I'm fine. It's nothing."

She hoisted herself into her saddle, but a sudden pull to the right on Stormfly's harness made her look down. Hiccup was pulling the dragon's head sideways so she couldn't fly; she knew Stormfly wouldn't let him do that for long and she didn't want to see him impaled. "Let go-"

"Hey, what's wrong? Talk to me," Hiccup asked, his eyes questioning. He set his hand on her leg but she instinctively pulled it away. The hurt in his eyes made her chest burn in anger at herself, willing herself to get a grip.

"I can't do this…" The words flew out of her mouth before she realized it.

Hiccup's eyes widened slightly and his head turned a little as if to make sure he wouldn't miss a word. "You can't do what-"

"Nothing! Nothing. You know, just forget it." Astrid said hurriedly. "Pretend nothing happened. I'm just tired. Can you please let Stormfly go now?"

Hiccup hated the way she was staring at her saddle horn, clearly avoiding eye contact. And the blush of embarrassment on her cheeks… but it wasn't a good form of embarrassment. He swallowed and let go of Stormfly's harness. "See you tomorrow?"

Astrid gave him a curt nod before urging Stormfly forward. Her dragon ran forward a few steps before taking off, carrying her rider home and leaving Hiccup standing in the cold even more confused than he'd ever been before.

Stormfly landed beside her house and Astrid jumped out of her saddle. Her fingers shook as she tried to unbuckle her dragon's saddle and harness. She suddenly felt too hot in her coat, almost strangled. She could feel her pulse speed up and her body shook with fear. She felt the urge to cry as if she was going to hyperventilate, but she choked it down. The leather finally slipped from the buckle and she threw it onto a nearby bench. She quickly walked to her house, threw open the door and stomped up the stairs to her room without giving her parents a glance.

"Astrid?" Olaf pushed the front door closed before heading to the stairs. They heard her door slam shut and he shared a confused look with Phlegma. She shrugged, just as confused and concerned.

Astrid slid to the floor, her hands gripping her mouth and nose, trying to control her breathing. Her emotions felt like a surge of panic like a ship in a torrential storm, tossing to and fro uncontrollably. She buried her face in her sleeves, a couple hot tears running into her fur sleeves. "It's okay, it's okay, it'sokayit'sokayit'sokay…" She whispered to herself, rocking back and forth, willing herself to calm down. Hiccup hadn't meant any harm by what he did, so why was she reacting this way? He wouldn't hurt her if his very life depended on it, so why couldn't she get a grip?

A knock sounded just above her head. "Astrid? Honey, are you okay?" Olaf asked gently from outside her door. Astrid made no response, just held still and tried to steady her breathing. She had to respond or he'd force his way in. "Astrid?" He knocked again.

Astrid raised her head, swallowed thickly and replied in a strong voice. "I'm okay, dad. I just don't feel well."

"Oh." He replied as she wiped her face. "Will you be wanting supper then?"

"No… thanks though."

"Alright. We'll save you something just in case, alright?"

Astrid made no response, wrapping her arms around her knees and resting her head on the door. Olaf's steady footsteps could be heard going back down the stairs and she sighed heavily. A shiver made its way down her spine and she jerked it away. She crawled into her bed, curling up under the covers and forcing frightful thoughts out of her mind.

She never lost a battle. But this was a battle even she couldn't defeat.

**Xxx**

Stoick glanced across the table at Hiccup, who had an empty journal sitting in front of him like he was going to write or draw something and a pencil in his hand. Yet he stared at the empty page with confusion etched on his face. Toothless sat nearby at the fire, sniffing some lamb roasting at the fire.

Stoick shot a look at the dragon, daring him to take the meat. Toothless rolled his eyes and slumped down to the floor with a groan of disapproval. Hiccup remained oblivious to his dragon's attitude problem. "You've been staring at that empty page for the last twenty minutes." The chief stated absently.

Hiccup's eyes drifted to the table, but he didn't respond. He looked truly confused and… offended?

"Come on, what's on your mind?" Stoick leaned forward. "Is it Kallie?"

Hiccup almost didn't know what he meant by that, but he quickly recovered. "No… Astrid. She just… something happened." Stoick furrowed a brow and he paused. "I… I don't know. She's never acted so… _afraid_ of me."

Stoick's eyebrows shot up at the word choice. He was expecting his son to talk about wedding jitters or paranoia for Hiccup's safety after that morning's stunt. But fear? "What happened?"

Hiccup shook his head. "I just went to hug her and she nearly killed me. And then she wouldn't talk to me after that. Practically ran away."

Something niggled in the back of Stoick's mind, but he acted casual. "I need more detail."

Hiccup's eyes narrowed slightly. "The storage shed. She didn't know I was there because I was on my way home. And-"

"And she overreacted when you hugged her." Stoick finished with a nod.

Hiccup's face slacked in disbelief. "Yeah…" His eyes shifted for a moment before he asked, "Do you know why she-"

"What I know or don't know isn't the issue." Stoick sighed. "It's what _you_ do or don't know that is. You need to talk to her."

Hiccup frowned when his father stood, clearly trying to close the conversation. "You know something. It's obvious you do, so why don't you just tell me?"

Stoick sighed and rested his hands on the table in front of his son. "Hiccup… I can't. And I won't. She's _your_ fiancée. This is something only you two need to talk about."

Hiccup threw out his hands, palms up. "Why? What could possibly-"

"Hiccup, I've told you enough."

"Which translates to nothing." Hiccup stood, grabbing his things and walking to the stairs. "I obviously was planning to talk to her again considering we're getting married in a few months, but since I have no idea what to talk _about_, I suppose I'll just have to wing it." His annoyed voice carried down the stairs as his feet disappeared to the loft.

Stoick sighed heavily, but he shook his head. This wasn't his place, so he wouldn't get involved.

**Xxx**

Astrid blinked when the knock on her bedroom door sounded. "Astrid?" Phlegma asked.

She rolled over in her bed with a stretch. "What?"

"Are you eating breakfast here or at the Hall?"

Astrid sighed. In all reality she wanted to eat at home, but she needed to be social. She was always social so staying at home for once didn't seem like such a big deal, but after her attitude toward Hiccup the night before, she couldn't stay home. He'd surely come knocking on her door within minutes of her not showing up.

"The Great Hall."

"Alright, you'd better get up and moving then. Are you alright?" Phlegma asked, trying the handle which was still locked. "Why don't you open the door?"

Astrid rolled her eyes as she slid off her bed. Her hair felt messy and she felt exhausted. She unlocked the hatch and her mother pushed the door open. Phlegma gaped at her. "Astrid! You look…" Her daughter's scowl made her stop for a moment. She crossed her arms. "Exhausted."

"Yeah, you were totally going to say…" Astrid paused, looking into her mirror. "That…" Her eyes were red and puffy, her skin pale, making her freckles stand out more than usual (and not in the attractive way). She gripped her table with her hands, her fingers going white. She knew she hadn't slept much the night before and she hadn't stopped crying for a while… but wow.

"Honey, are you alright?" Phlegma cautiously stepped over to her.

"Yes." Astrid turned away dismissively as she undid the rest of her braid. "Could you have Stormfly heat some water? I want to wash my hair before I leave."

Phlegma held back her sigh and replaced it with a nod. She left the room and headed downstairs to fetch some water. She wished her husband were home so he could talk to Astrid, try to figure out what was wrong with her. She hadn't eaten dinner the night before and didn't seem too keen on eating breakfast either.

Ten minutes later she called up the stairs to tell Astrid the water was ready. Her daughter tromped down the stairs in a clean outfit, her face not quite as white but still a little peeky for her liking. She walked around to the washroom to wash her hair, feeling her mother's eyes on her the whole time. She didn't want to talk about it, so she didn't face her.

Twenty minutes later with clean hair and a new braid, Astrid walked out the door without another word. She hated the cold attitude toward her mother but she didn't want to press it. However she paused, a few feet in front of her porch. She turned back on her heel and walked inside. Phlegma was still sitting at the kitchen table sharpening an axe; she raised her eyebrow when Astrid strode toward her.

Astrid wrapped her arms around her mom in a tight hug. "Thanks."

Phlegma was shocked. She lovingly held her daughter in her arms tightly, but couldn't stop herself from asking the inevitable. "Astrid, what is wrong? You've been acting strangely since last night-"

"I'm fine. It's nothing." Astrid murmured, not wanting to let go of her mom. She felt like she needed to hold on for a few more moments.

"Honey, you can tell me anything." Phlegma pulled her up so they were eye to eye. "You know that, right? Same with your father. You can talk to us."

Astrid faked a smile, which her mother saw coming, and nodded. "Yeah, I know." She walked back over to the door as she sighed, "I'll see you later."

"Have a good day, Astrid!" Phlegma called. As her daughter shut the door, she really meant it.

**Xxx**

Hiccup's face pulled into a smile when Astrid walked over to the team's regular table in the Great Hall. It faltered when her smile back looked more like a grimace and her pale skin and puffy eyes weren't lost on him. She slid into the seat next to him as the others greeted her.

"Morning," Hiccup said as he inhaled the scent of her clean hair from their proximity.

"Hey." She mumbled back, not really looking at anyone.

Hiccup's brow furrowed. "Are you okay?"

"She looks sick. You sick?" Tuffnut asked loudly, slapping a hand to her forehead.

Astrid jerked back and slapped his hand away with wide eyes. The others looked startled for a moment before she shook her head vehemently and looked back at the table. "Sorry. I guess you could say so."

"You should eat something." Hiccup rested a hand on her shoulder, but she tensed, her eyes flicking to his hand for a second. Hiccup removed his hand awkwardly, not understanding what was wrong with her.

"N-no, I'm n-not hungry…" she mumbled, her left knee bobbing furiously and fingers twisted into her braid.

Fishlegs pushed an extra cup of juice forward. "At least drink something. You look pale as a sheet."

"And it's not even that cold outside." Ruffnut added. "You need something to keep you going."

"Fine, fine." Astrid rolled her eyes, taking a swig of the juice. She lowered the cup, glaring at everyone for staring at her. "What? I'm fine! Now stop staring!" Everyone looked away self-consciously in embarrassment except Hiccup. He continued to stare at her with concern, which only made her more nervous.

"Hiccup seriously, I'm fine. I just didn't sleep well."

Hiccup's eyes narrowed slightly. "Because of what happ-"

Astrid slammed the cup down, making the group jump. She glared at him angrily, but Hiccup saw right through it—her eyes were full of fear. "I am _fine_. Got it?"

Hiccup stiffly nodded before she stood up. "Are you coming to training today?"

Astrid huffed, crossing her arms. "If I didn't skip training when I had strep throat, what makes you think I'd skip for nothing?"

Hiccup stood slowly and faced her with a firm expression. "Because this isn't nothing and you know it. And I am not the only one who thinks so." The others pursed their lips or nodded in agreement, really not wanting to get involved but not leaving Hiccup alone in his evaluation. Something was wrong.

Astrid clenched her fingers on her arms in her attempt to keep a neutral face. "I'll just meet you there." She bit out before turning on her heel and walking away. Hiccup slapped his hands at his sides in frustration.

He was tempted to follow her. He needed to talk to her anyway, but should he wait until a better time when she was calmer? Clearly she was upset about something… and he had a sneaking suspicion the root of the problem was what happened at the shed last night.

He decided to wait, sitting back down with the others at the table. He would wait until after the training at the Academy, then he would sit her down somewhere alone with no one to butt in and talk to her.

**Ok ok, hear me out guys bc some of you know what's going happen. BUT none of you know WHY it's going to happen. So please wait until the next chapter or two; explanations will come! But please bear in mind, Astrid isn't necessarily being reasonable, okay? That's part of the problem.**

**I'm working on changes and stuff for the next chapters, so don't freak out on me haha Stay with me guys, sudden crazy plots don't ruin a story; I'm not throwing a wrench into my whole plan. In fact, maybe this has a purpose? Oh imagine that! Haha I'm just teasing, but stay with me guys; this is only chapter 4 ;)**

**~EmK**


	5. Drawbacks

**Okies guys, I made some serious changes to this chapter. Please read even if you know what's going to happen. The reason for changing things up was bc I got some messages that things went too fast and there wasn't enough detail. These changes I've made help a lot to get Astrid's thoughts across better.**

**If ya'll still don't like it… well, this is how it's staying haha ;)**

**Chapter 5: Drawbacks**

Hiccup pulled back his bow string and released the arrow, hitting his target dead center. He had been shooting for the last half hour after a long hour and a half flight with Toothless. The Academy students and his fellow trainers would be joining him soon. But his head was still clouded with concerned thoughts for his fiancée, who had yet to arrive.

So many infuriating questions rushed through his mind. The night before he hadn't fallen asleep until nearly two in the morning, and by the looks of Astrid's whitened complexion, it was apparent that she hadn't fared much better. He was confused by what happened at the shed—her expression tight and terrified, her body rigid, prepared to kill. If he hadn't shouted out… He shuddered at the thought.

It wasn't like he had never done that to her before. He had walked up behind her and hugged her around her stomach multiple times before. So what was it about this particular time that made her overreact?

She hadn't known that he was there and he _had_ walked over to her rather quietly. She wasn't expecting it at all. Anyone in their right mind would at least jump if someone touched their shoulder in the dark, let alone wrapped their arms around their waist. It probably just freaked her out.

But the Astrid he knew would just smack him for his incompetence and then kiss him as recompense. She had done that since they were fifteen. So again, why was this different? And why did it impact her so badly even up through the next morning?

Hiccup growled loudly and kicked a bucket, sending it clattering across the stone pavement.

"Rough day?"

Hiccup flinched, his gaze landing on Snotlout. "You could say that." His cousin waltzed across the circle, kicking the bucket back at him.

"Does it have to do with how weird Astrid was acting this morning?"

"Yeah," Hiccup sighed, standing in front of the bucket. He nudged the open end sideways, making it twist around so he could kick the bottom end again.

"Probably just wedding jitters," Snotlout walked after the bucket, which had nicked a broken brick and flown off course.

"Probably," Hiccup nodded, legitimately hoping he was right. Wedding jitters he could fix. But since he didn't know what to expect, how could he prepare? "So," He began when Snotlout kicked the bucket back at him. He felt the need to change the subject before his cousin said something stupid or inappropriate, considering the conversation and a certain agitated blonde who could potentially walk in at any moment. "Are you excited to see Heather?"

Snotlout snorted. "No!" He stopped the clattering bucket with his foot and paused at Hiccup's raised eyebrow. "Okay fine, maybe a little."

"Amazing how when we were sixteen you were all over her, and now that she's interested you're nervous."

"Says the guy who waited three years to propose to his girlfriend."

"Touché."

"You know, instead of kicking this bucket around we could be arm wrestling or sword fighting. Something awesome."

"Yet here we are."

"Must you always be so cynical?"

"Possibly."

"You are so impossible sometimes."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"I don't know how Astrid puts up with you."

"Honestly, neither do I."

A voice interrupted their playful male banter and brutish bucket kicking. "I suppose you're lucky then." The men turned to see Astrid walking in with six teenagers and the other three trainers on her heels. The small smile on her face made Hiccup's face split into a grin. She still looked pale and her eyes weren't completely back to their normal mischievous cheerfulness, but she was smiling. It was a start.

"Clumsiest Viking born, remember? I'm always lucky." Hiccup smirked with crossed arms when she stopped in front of him.

Snotlout rapped his knuckles on the wooden bucket a few times, the Twins snickering nearby. Hiccup rolled his eyes while the teens stared at the young adults with confusion. Adults were weird by any social opinion amongst their age group, but these adults in particular? There was no describing it sometimes.

Hiccup looked back at Astrid. "Feeling better?"

She pursed her lips and her eyes glanced away for a moment. "I'm okay…"

Hiccup raised a hand to touch her arm but sensing his movement, she swiftly turned away and stood beside him, facing the group. He tried to keep a neutral face, hoping that she avoided his touch for the teens' sake and not for any other particular reason.

His eyes scanned the group, silently counting heads. "Okay, we have everyone except… Who are we missing?"

"Just that girl you fished out of the ocean." Tuffnut remarked, his lips smacking on a piece of bread from the bakery. "Nobody important or anything."

Hiccup rolled his eyes lightly. "Do you have to eat now?"

"I'm hungry."

"In front of the teens? Great example you're setting there."

"My girlfriend gave it to me."

"No excuses!"

"Dude, I'm one of the teachers! Teachers get to do what they want!" Tuffnut waved his arms around, crumbs flying in all directions. Gustav brushed off his vest in annoyance. "Teachers can eat a whole feast while inflicting painful training exercises on their students if they want! Teachers can dangle the students by their toes if they want! Heck, teachers can run around stark naked if they want to!"

A few groans of disgust emitted from the group as a whole while Fishlegs fought back a gag. "Ahh no. No. No you can't. Please Tuffnut, for the love of Thor, _please_ do _not_ under _any_ circumstances come to work naked!" Hiccup emphasized.

"Relax!" Tuff punched his shoulder, making him silently groan and roll his shoulder in a circle. "Just keeping you on your toes."

"Ah geez…" Hiccup sighed. He spared a glance at Astrid, who seemed to be lightly annoyed at Tuffnut. Or was it something else? He wasn't sure what was real or not with her right now; his own paranoia was playing into every detail of their lives. It was getting annoying.

"Alright kids, as you can see we have no dragons here today-"

"Actually Toothless is sitting in the rafters behind you." Ruffnut interrupted with a grin. "Just in case you didn't know."

"No no. I knew. Thank you, Ruffnut." Hiccup smiled tightly.

"You're welcome!" Ruffnut piped, slapping her brother's shoulder. "He's nice. Why aren't you ever nice?"

"What? I am too nice!"

"Uh guys?" Hiccup called.

"Since when?"

"Since I got a girlfriend, I'll have you know!"

"Guys?"

"Well I'll have you know that you spend an awful lot of time with that girlfriend! Are you sure you're learning how to bake bread?"

"WHAT! I can't even- You just- You _didn't _just say that-"

"EVERYBODY SHUTUP!" Astrid suddenly roared. Hiccup jumped nearly a foot away from her, his eyes wide and fearful. Everyone stared at her in shock, Fishlegs' hands covering his mouth, Snotlout's eyebrows furrowed low, the Twins' mouths still gaping from arguing. The teens just stared at her tensely, ready to turn and run away if need be.

Astrid breathed heavily for a few moments before looking at the ground with her hands on her hips. She hadn't meant to shout so loudly, but it just surged out of her suddenly. She was so sick and tired of all the messing around, especially if they were teaching younger kids about dragons. One of which nearly died yesterday due to messing around. It was one thing when Hiccup was teaching them when they were kids, the only ones there all day, almost every day. But parents were putting these kids' lives, their safety in their hands. It was high time they started acted like they cared about responsibility.

"You guys need to focus. Focus on this, focus on teaching the kids with Hiccup, or get out." Astrid bit out tersely.

Hiccup's jaw dropped. "Astrid?"

"What?" She faced him, setting her jaw. "It's high time people started taking on a little more responsibility around here. Your father gave you this Academy to train our people, particularly the younger generation about dragons. I'm tired of seeing you year after year working yourself to death and all they do is mess around!"

"Astrid-"

"No, I'm serious!"

"Astrid, we get it." Ruffnut interrupted her, her arms crossed. Tuffnut looked equally peeved. They stared at Astrid for nearly a minute before Ruffnut faced the teenagers. "Sorry kids, but looks like we're not wanted here. Have fun."

A few of the teens' mouths dropped when the Thorstons turned and walked out of the Academy. One of the girls even began to cry because she loved hanging out with Ruffnut every other day. Fishlegs ran after them to try and bring them back, but they ignored him. The group heard Ruffnut say, "No, you come find us when Astrid thinks we're mature enough."

Her words stabbed into Astrid's chest and she stepped back. What had she done? Had she really overreacted that badly? In her peripheral vision she saw Hiccup drop his head into his hand. The Academy was silent for a few more seconds before he raised his head.

"We're going to wait a few more days before allowing you guys to fly again." He gently broke the silence, everyone's eyes on him except his fiancée's. "We need to work out some different rules for when you are allowed to fly since the last were broken. We'll meet again Thursday. You're dismissed."

The teens stayed in place for a few seconds, almost afraid to move. But once one found the courage to move to the door, the others followed. The adults stayed behind in the Academy, all silent until long after the teens' footsteps died away. Fishlegs quietly walked back inside from the entrance when the teens were long gone.

Astrid felt a pit the size of an apple growing in her stomach. She didn't want to look at anyone, she didn't want to talk to anyone… gods, this is why she wanted to stay home this morning! She tried to work through her emotions and just move on, but in the back of her mind she just _knew_ something bad would happen today.

Hiccup had his lips pressed together for some time, staring at the floor, his right foot bouncing absently. But finally he looked over at her. "What were you thinking?"

Astrid looked in the opposite direction, unable to take the angry, piercing gaze in his green eyes. "I'm… I don't know-"

"You don't know?!" Hiccup asked incredulously, turning his body toward her. "Astrid, you insulted them not only in front of us, but also in front of the teens! You can't get worse than that!"

"I know."

"They're going to go home and tell their parents about this! What am I going to tell them when they come asking what happened that two of their teachers quit?"

Astrid stared down at his prosthetic, unwilling to meet his eyes. If she did, she would lose it. She could feel it burning in her chest and in her skull. She couldn't look at him.

Hiccup hissed a breath out of his teeth before turning away from her and walking a few steps away. Snotlout and Fishlegs watched him steadily, wondering what he was going to say. He faced Astrid again. "You're going to apologize to them."

She nodded tersely. Hiccup crossed his arms. "Look at me." Astrid swallowed, her eyes shifting but not lifting. "Astrid, you've been avoiding eye contact with me since last night, now _look_ at me."

Astrid's eyes snapped up and she nearly choked. The hurt look in his eyes was enough to crumble her resolve, making her feel dirty like a greasy forge rag. She gripped her arm tightly with her fingers, willing herself to get a grip. But the more she stared at him, the faster her left leg bobbed and the more blurry he became.

As her vision blurred, she failed to see his hardened look melt off his face, replaced with concern. Snotlout and Fishlegs were shocked. Something was seriously wrong if Astrid was on the verge of tears.

Hiccup stepped forward when she covered her eyes with a hand, trying to stifle the sobs that so wanted to break out. "Astrid, what is wrong? Tell me." Snotlout edged toward Fishlegs, feeling the necessity to leave Hiccup alone with his distressed fiancée, but halted when Astrid stepped back from Hiccup's embrace.

Fishlegs looked just as shocked, but managed to regain Snotlout's attention. The two men left quickly and quietly, eager to leave the couple to work through this obvious problem.

Hiccup's heart burned inside him. Why did she keep retracting from him like a disease? He didn't want to get angry and she was clearly upset, so he capped his anger. She needed love but how could he give it when she wouldn't take it? How could he talk to her about a problem when she wouldn't talk?

"Sweetheart, you need to stop this… _this_." Hiccup finally sighed. "Whatever it is, I don't know what it is or what started it or why it started. I want to help you; why won't you let me? Part of our vows is going to be helping each other when we need help, being there for each other when we need a shoulder to cry on, aiding each other in our distresses. How can I do that in marriage if you won't let me do it in our engagement?"

Astrid sniffed loudly from under her hand, trying to stop this insufferable crying. She had been up half the night doing it. She had had her fill of it, so why wouldn't it stop?

Hiccup's hands gently rested on the sides of her head, making her tense in surprise but not pull away. He rested his head on her forehead and whispered pleadingly, "Please don't shut me out. Please talk to me."

Astrid wiped her fingers across her cheeks, her eyes on his chest and again avoiding his eyes. "It's noth-"

"Stop lying." Hiccup interrupted sternly. He sighed, "What did I do last night? Don't act like that didn't set something off because it obviously did."

Astrid opened her mouth slowly, a few tears running down her face. "You just scared me, that's all."

"Astrid…" Hiccup whispered, wiping them away with his thumbs. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. But why did I scare you so badly?"

Astrid's pulse spiked and part of her wanted to run away. The other part wanted to be wrapped in his arms where she could cry and tell him-

No. She couldn't tell him. That wasn't something she would tell anyone, even someone she would marry. That door needed to stay closed forever, it should never be touched. It shouldn't even be thought about. It was the ultimate taboo.

Yet… here they were. That door hadn't just opened a crack last night, it had been flung open with all of its demons and nightmares flooding out like a broken dam. She felt dirty, exposed… and here Hiccup was in his innocent, perfect voice, trying to be loving, gentle and helpful. He didn't understand the magnitude of such a burden. He couldn't understand if he tried, therefore he wouldn't understand.

She blinked hard, all optimism drowned out in her soul. What was she doing?

"Astrid?" Hiccup bent down to meet her eyes. She had ignored his question, her eyes now glazed over in thought. Her tears had run dry like an empty well and now her face lacked emotion. His hands slipped to her shoulders and he lightly shook them. "Astrid!"

She sharply inhaled and blinked, looking into his eyes. "I…" She breathed. "I need to think…" She nodded shakily, more to convince herself than him. "Yeah I need to think…"

"No, you need to tell me what's-" Hiccup argued calmly, but she interrupted.

"Please?" Her eyes were wide, the blue crystal irises bright from her tears and full of emotion. "I-I just… just want to go home."

Hiccup wanted answers. He had never desired an explanation from her so badly in his entire life. He wanted to sit down with her, he wanted to hear what was wrong because she so badly _needed_ to get it out, whatever _it_ was. He wanted her to cry on his shoulder for the next eight hours if necessary. He wanted her to trust him with her problems, her struggles. He wanted to prove to her that he could _be_ that rock for her if only she was willing.

But instead, he gave her a rueful smile, lightly squeezed her shoulders and released them. "You come find me when you want to talk, okay?"

Astrid wanted to kiss him, or at least hug him. But she couldn't bring herself to do either. She gave him a short blank nod before walking around him and out the front doors to the Academy. As soon as she rounded the corner she took off in a dead sprint toward the village, toward home, toward her sanctuary from her struggles, her burdens. There she could be alone in the silence and not criticize anyone or let anyone down. There the only person she could let down was herself.

**Xxx**

Hiccup watched her leave the Academy until she turned the corner, his sharp hearing catching her running footfalls just after she disappeared. He listened until he could hear her no more before turning his gaze on the wooden bucket nearby.

He growled in frustration and rounded his leg into the bucket, sending it flying across the Academy. He heard it snap when it smashed into the wall. Toothless perked from his perch in the stands, watching his rider pace back and forth with a half angry, half anxious expression on his face.

Toothless jumped down and walked up to Hiccup. He rumbled questioningly in his throat when Hiccup stopped pacing, noticed him standing there. Hiccup looked away with a light eye roll. "I don't know what to do, bud. She won't talk to me, she won't let me hold her. She won't even look at me. What am I supposed to do?"

He was an idiot. A clumsy, bumbling, completely mad idiot that had no clue what to do with women and their raging hormones. Maybe she legitimately did not feel well at all and was overdoing it in an attempt to push through. He begged to the gods that that was the only issue.

But somehow in all this madness, he just knew that he had made a mistake in letting her leave.

**Xxx**

Hiccup progressed through his entire day trying to think of a solution. He knew it was futile if he didn't know what the problem was, but Stoick and Olaf kept pressing him to keep trying. He stopped by the Hofferson's a few times in the attempt to talk to Astrid again, but all he got was silence behind a locked door.

He had run into Ruffnut and Tuffnut a few hours after the mishap at the Academy and both were full of smiles, beating each other up as usual. He found them talking to some of the trainees in the Great Hall, pleased to see them still hanging out. He pulled them aside and made sure it was clear with them that they did not have to quit. They both seemed gracious with the ordeal after having time to cool off, but felt they would still want an apology from Astrid before they joined the group again in the Academy. Hiccup added that to his list of things to tell Astrid, hoping she would confide in him soon so their friendship could be mended.

He ate a light dinner at home that night in silence, since Stoick already knew the whole ordeal. Stoick didn't try to make conversation with him, as he didn't generally know what to say in such awkward situations, so he just let it be. He knew Astrid would come around soon, so he didn't feel the need to press the issue.

But around nine o'clock that night, a timid knock came from the door, startling him out of his chair. He opened it to find Astrid standing there, snow dusting her hair. He was surprised that she knocked; she hadn't knocked on their door in years. She normally just walked in.

"Come on in, Astrid." Stoick swung the door out wider.

Astrid slowly, timidly stepped inside. Hiccup was already halfway down the stairs, a small smile on his lips. "Hey."

Her cheek twitched in an extremely poor attempt to smile, but it was the best she could do. "Can we talk?" She asked quietly.

Hiccup smiled a little wider. _Finally_ she wanted to talk! After nearly 48 hours of constant confusion, he was finally going to get some answers! "Yeah, you want to talk upstairs?"

"No… let's take a walk." She glanced nervously in Stoick's direction, who was trying (and failing) to ignore the conversation as he flipped through the Dragon Manual.

Hiccup nodded. "Okay, let me grab a coat." He jogged up the stairs, eager to get this conversation started. Astrid stood in the same place he left her when he trotted back down the stairs, shoving his arms through his coat. "Alright, let's go."

He opened the door, letting her walk out first. He flashed his father a nervous smile before following her out the door, closing it firmly behind him. Stoick sighed, hoping all of this sudden drama would be resolved by the time he returned.

The usually happy couple walked through the village side by side in silence. Usually they'd be teasing each other with sarcastic comments or poking fun at Hiccup's constant clumsiness. But now the silence between them seemed to bite harder than the cold. They reached the edge of the village overlooking the ocean, snowflakes swirling around them in the wind.

Astrid walked a few steps closer to the cliff edge when she suddenly felt colder and more alone. "You want to talk here?" Oh, that's why. Hiccup had stopped walking. He stood a few feet behind her, his hands tucked in his pockets, his expression confused and pensive.

She sighed heavily, sending a cloud of mist through the air. "It's quiet. It's remote. It'll suffice." Her heart pounded loud in her ears, but she knew what she had to do.

Hiccup exhaled lightly. "So…" Where to begin? "What's going on?" He mentally kicked himself. What a stupid casual question for such an emotional moment for her!

Astrid suddenly turned on her heel and looked at him. Her tight expression shocked him. "I can't do this…" She sighed in the most timid voice he had ever heard from her.

Hiccup swallowed in confusion. This wasn't an explanation. It was, from her point of view, a fact. "You can't do what?"

"I… I can't keep doing this to you…" Astrid looked at her clasped hands.

"Doing what?" Hiccup asked. "Astrid, this doesn't make any sense. You're-" His eyes fell on her hands and he stopped. She was fingering the engagement ring he had given her. She slowly slipped the ring off her finger, walked forward and placed it in the palm of his hand.

His chest constricted and he stared at her in shock. He couldn't speak.

"I… I want you t-to save this for someone… someone else." Astrid said shakily, closing his fingers around the ring. "For someone who's more deserving of you."

A choked gasp escaped his lips. "What?" Astrid stepped away but he desperately grabbed her wrist. "No no, wait! What did I do? Astrid, if this has to do with what happened at the shed, I'm sorry! It was an accident-"

"It's not you!" Astrid pushed a hand to his mouth. "This isn't you, it's me. It's all me."

Hiccup shook his head, desperately pleading. "Sweetheart please, whatever it is, we can fix this!"

Astrid pressed her lips to his suddenly and he held her close, wanting to cry and tear his hair out at the same time. She pulled away gently and shook her head. "No, we can't. I'm sorry." Hiccup stared into her eyes, feeling his throat tighten with every word she spoke. "Goodbye Hiccup."

And then, without any warning, she pulled out of his grasp and ran away, hurtling at full speed back into the village toward her house. Hiccup watched her until he couldn't see her anymore, his mouth agape and his heart about as broken as it possibly could be.

**I'm happy with how this chapter has turned out, especially after the last one. I liked the original, but I do like this addition of detail and happenings before the breakup. Let me remind you, there is a reason she broke up with him! Hopefully that came across a lot better than last time. Chapter 6 should be up in a few days and it will explain everything.**

**Thanks for the support and help, guys! 144 days until HTTYD2, my lovelies! ;)**

**~EmK**


	6. Confidante

**72 followers! Woot wooooot! So excited! Keep 'em comin guys! XD You guys are amazing!**

**Loads of explanations in this chappie! All will be explained! This is rated T for a reason. No I don't go into specific detail. It's rather self-explanatory. Apologies if some of you don't agree with this direction I've taken, but everything I'm writing has a reason!**

**This chapter took a bit of work, but I really love how it turned out, especially the ending. Happy reading!**

**Chapter 6: Confidante**

Hiccup threw the door open and slammed it closed with his back, grabbing fistfuls of his hair and breathing fast. Stoick stood from his chair and walked over to him. "Hiccup? What happened?"

"Just the worst frieking night of my entire existence," Hiccup muttered.

Stoick pulled him up. "Well that doesn't help me in trying to help you-"

"There's no point because you can't help! If I couldn't change her mind, what the heck makes you think you can?!" Hiccup jerked out of his hold and stomped away.

Stoick jolted. "Change her mind?" He was almost afraid to ask. "About what?"

Hiccup released his hair with a strangled gasp and faced him. Stoick nearly gaped; his son looked like he was about to cry. He shakily put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a small object, resting it in his palm.

Stoick's face went slack. "The ring… She gave it back?"

Hiccup shook his head. "No. She… she called off the wedding, the engagement… everything."

Stoick furrowed his brow and led his son to a chair. "Alright, slow down. Tell me everything."

The young man stared at his hands for a few moments, not wanting to recount the tale of his best friend, the woman of his dreams breaking his heart. But he also knew that if he wanted help, he would have to do it. After a heavy sigh, he spent the next five minutes telling Stoick everything that had happened.

"I just… we were fine until a few hours ago!" Hiccup finished. "Literally, we were fine this morning before the entire ordeal with the teenagers took place. I just… I don't know. I'm so confused and I don't know what I did."

"You didn't _do_ anything, Hiccup. She told you that already." Stoick sighed heavily. "She's worse off than I thought."

"Worse off?" Hiccup asked in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Son, this… I can't tell you. Like I said earlier, you have to talk to her-"

"I tried that and she broke off our engagement!" Hiccup cried, his eyes full of pain. "I didn't even get a chance to speak! She-"

"I know, you told me," Stoick held up a calm hand.

Hiccup slumped in his chair, resting his cheek in the palm of his hand. "What happened to her in a day that made her want to break off the engagement and call off the wedding? Is she just afraid of getting married?"

"This is more than wedding jitters." Stoick looked away. Hiccup shook his head in annoyance, wishing he would just come out with it. Stoick shook his head back. "No. That is not my place." He leaned closer to him and added, "You love her with your heart and soul. Everyone knows that, except apparently her."

Hiccup frowned, his head shooting up from his palm. "What are you talking about? Of course she knows! Just looking at the day I proposed to her, she _knows_! Why would you even insinuate that?"

"Then why did she do this?" Stoick asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nice to know you heard my question."

"Hiccup," Stoick sighed. "It's because she is afraid of something. Not you, but she's afraid that your love won't be greater than one of the very few things she is afraid of." He paused, "At least that is what I'm sensing. It could go a lot deeper than that."

Hiccup shook his head, trying to make sense of his father's vague words. "And what exactly is she afraid of?"

"That is what you need to find out." Stoick poked his chest. "Whatever you do, do this: give her love, be gentle and don't let her run away. She needs to accept her past and not run from the future she will have with you; the future that she wants to have with you. You need to prove to her that together your future will be greater than her past."

Hiccup swallowed thickly, nervous about this little speech and concerned about her past. What did that mean? They had shared every secret of their lives with each other eons ago. She had told him everything just as he had told her everything.

Didn't she?

Hiccup looked at his father sadly. "She's been hiding something, hasn't she?"

Stoick pursed his lips sadly. "Sometimes people can't share their darkest of demons with even their closest of friends. It's a door they don't want to open for fear that they will be exposed to the whole world. That's where the love and gentleness comes in. Love her like you always have and more, and let her speak at her own pace. Take hours if you have to." Stoick looked him in the eye, "But don't let her leave until you get that secret out and until that ring is back where it belongs."

Hiccup's mouth tugged into a small smile. His heart still felt torn to shreds with shock, grief and gut-wrenching sadness, but his father's words of advice had rekindled his optimism. Tomorrow he'd sit Astrid down and make her talk. He still loved her with all his heart and he was determined to prove that to her just as he had on their engagement day.

**Xxx**

Olaf stood from the breakfast table the next morning to answer the door, fully aware of who was on the other side. He pulled it open and waved Hiccup in. The young man gave him a tight smile and stepped inside, brushing snowflakes out of his hair.

Phlegma sighed heavily when she saw him. "It's about time you came. She wouldn't eat anything last night after she came home and she refuses to eat this morning as well. Perhaps you can convince her?"

Hiccup nodded with a light shrug. "I can try…" He sighed. "We have a lot to talk about."

"What happened last night?" Olaf asked gently, crossing his arms with a concerned expression. All the parents knew was that when Astrid had come home the night before, tears were streaming down her face and she had locked herself in her room again. No amount of coaxing could convince her to open the door, and they respected her obvious desire to be alone. But this morning, they clearly wanted answers.

Hiccup bit the inside of his cheek and glanced at the door. In a hushed voice, he said, "She called off the engagement."

Phlegma gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. Olaf's head jerked forward in disbelief. "What? Why?"

Hiccup opened his mouth, then closed it with a humorless laugh and slight shake of his head. "I have no idea."

Phlegma's heart broke at the pained inflection in his voice. "Ohh come here." She pulled Hiccup into a tight hug, which surprised him. He still wasn't used to any form of motherly affection.

Olaf sighed heavily. "Well let's go find out then."

"Can I talk to her alone for a minute?" Hiccup asked.

Olaf smiled. "Of course. I'll go with you to open the door if she won't open it. She had it barricaded last night."

Hiccup climbed the stairway alongside his hopefully future father-in-law, his nervousness building with each step. He still had no idea what to say or ask; he hoped with how she was acting, she would know exactly what he wanted to know and she'd find the strength to share it.

Olaf stopped at the third step to the top and gestured for him to move ahead to her door. Hiccup sighed in front of the door for a moment before knocking a few times. "Astrid? Can I come in?"

No response.

Hiccup swallowed, resting his head on the doorframe. "Astrid, please? We need to talk."

The room on the other side was silent and his heart sank. She was ignoring him. How hard should he press? He faced Olaf with a look for help and the man gave him a stern look, which read, "Are you seriously going to give up that easily?"

Hiccup knocked on the door again. Olaf stepped up beside him and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Astrid, open the door or I'll open it for you. You have to face him sooner or later, and he deserves a proper explanation. Better to start now." He spoke in a more forceful voice than Hiccup had heard from him, but he assumed after a while Olaf put aside the gentleness. There was a time to be kind as well as a time to be firm.

The men waited in silence for a response, and after another fifteen seconds of silence, Olaf shrugged. "Okay, your choice then." He reached in his back pocket and pulled out a key. Hiccup watched him place the key inside the hole and unlock the door. Astrid had once told him that when she was little and she'd lock herself in her room, her parents would give her three opportunities to open the door. By the third choice, they would unlock the door and come in. She usually gave in by the second chance.

Olaf pocketed the key, pushed the latch and shoved the door open. "Honey, you have to talk to-" The men paused in shock. They were met with a cold gust blowing through their hair and an empty room. Astrid wasn't inside and her window was open.

They stood in shock and silence for a moment before Hiccup sighed sadly. "Great. So now she's running away from me."

"Phlegma just spoke to her five minutes before you got here, Hiccup." Olaf placed a hand on his shoulder, his gaze firm. "She couldn't have left that long ago."

Hiccup's brow furrowed. "Stormfly…" He trotted down the stairs and out the door. His heel and prosthetic skidded in the snow in front of the empty stall. Toothless cooed at him questioningly from a nearby roof.

Beside him, Olaf muttered something under his breath about stubborn women when Ruffnut walked by. "Ruffnut!" Hiccup called. When she twisted in mid-step, he asked, "Have you seen Astrid?"

"Pretty boy lost his fiancée, huh?" She smirked.

Hiccup deadpanned and she waved her hands. "Oh relax, I'm just teasing. She flew away on Stormfly just a few minutes ago. She seemed kind of in a hurry."

"Which direction did she go?"

"That way," Ruffnut pointed towards the woods, which sadly came before the mountains. "Good luck trying to find her in there. Better just to wait until she comes back."

Hiccup put on his best fake smile and nodded. "Thanks Ruff, I think I'll do just that." Olaf gave him a confused glance.

"See ya later."

As soon as Ruffnut was out of earshot, Olaf turned to him. "You're going to wait around until she comes back?"

"Of course not. But we don't want this… any of this spreading." Hiccup faced him. "I'll find her, I'll get her to talk to me. But I promised her I'd marry her. I intend to keep that end of the deal."

Olaf smiled proudly and thumped his shoulder. "I know you will. But really, how are you going to find her? She's awfully good at hiding."

"That she is," Hiccup mused, walking to Toothless and climbing into his saddle. "But once I find her she won't be able to run. Stormfly still can't outrun Toothless, no matter how much chicken Astrid feeds her."

Olaf nodded, raising his hand in parting when the Night Fury took off and arched towards the forest and mountains. He sent up a quick prayer, wishing Hiccup speed and wisdom and his daughter grace.

**Xxx**

From her vantage point on Stormfly, Astrid watched her fiancé—no, her friend… gods, could she even call him _that_ anymore?—fly towards the forest near the Cove. She had purposefully taken off and directed Stormfly in that direction, hoping someone would direct Hiccup there. She didn't want to talk to him… she couldn't talk to him. It was too painful. But he was smart and clever; she'd need to be on her toes to keep away from him.

Maybe… her heart ached impossibly deeper at the thought, but what if she left? She had Stormfly to ride and the world at her fingertips as a result. She could leave, just as Hiccup had considered all those years ago. She could leave him behind and all those promises, those adventures, those fun times and passionate moments…

_No, stop thinking about him. It's over._

She couldn't hide from him forever. She would run into him again whether she wanted to or not. If she knew anything about Hiccup, it was that he was persistent, stubborn and all too optimistic for his own good. She would have to keep breaking his heart again and again until he would finally go away. He had endured a lot of heartbreak as a kid… certainly not one of this magnitude, but… he'd be fine right? But how many heartbreaks could she endure?

Astrid sighed heavily, her chest aching and shoulders tight. She was angry with herself for her selfishness and pride, but mostly for the fact that she had fallen for someone so amazing, so wonderful… and deep down she had always known that she didn't deserve him.

But more importantly, he didn't deserve her and she was sickened by the thought that she ever thought different.

**Xxx**

Hiccup growled to himself, angry that it was nearly four in the afternoon and he still had yet to even _see_ Astrid anywhere. He had started searching the forest, starting with the cove around eight that morning. When she wasn't there, he continued on through as much of the forest as Toothless could cover and the mountains.

But apparently when he came back to the village around noon, he caught through the grapevine that she had been to multiple places in the village, including the bakery, her house (unfortunately when her parents weren't home), and the Great Hall. He didn't fail to notice that anywhere he usually resided was left out of her trail of places to be.

Of course one would assume that he'd stumble into her somewhere in the village right? No, of course not. He searched the village high and low for another three and a half hours, trying to be completely casual about his mad search all the while, and he still couldn't find her! She had to have made a mad dash for the forest when she (assumedly) saw him flying in.

She was being so stubborn and insufferable! But he knew he needed to cool it. Getting upset with her would only shove her away. This was exactly the reaction she was expecting—anger, bitterness. If he wanted to get her to confide in him, he would need to be as calm and as gentle as humanely possible.

But in order for him to do that, he had to catch her first. It was a good thing he was in charge of dragons and not people. He wasn't so good at finding those. He rolled his eyes at his inner tangent. "_Give it a few years and you'll be in charge of both!" One side of his brain snickered._

_The other half whined, "Shutup, I just want to find my fiancée!"_

"_You mean your fiancée who is in fact _not_ your fiancée? That is harsh. That is really, really harsh-"_

"_Dude! Shut! Up!"_

"_But it's the truth."_

"_Why don't you keep rubbing it in?"_

"_Okay, well let's inspect the wound here. Oh a once happy heart that is torn to shreds just with a few sentences. Gosh, that is really bloody-"_

"_I'm going to kill you."_

"_You can't kill half your consciousness, dear. Here, let's throw some salt on it for good measure."_

"_Oh gods-"_

"_Are you feeling it yet?"_

"GAHHHHHH!" Hiccup yelled, turning and smacking his forehead into a pole repeatedly for a few seconds. Most of the people nearby stopped and stared along with Toothless, who slunk away from his rider, officially wishing they weren't acquainted in the least bit.

"Hiccup?"

The young man whirled around, almost hoping it was Astrid… but the distinctly male voice, vast stature and weight and red braided beard told him otherwise. He nearly slapped himself when he realized he almost said, "I thought you were Astrid." As if his previous head pounding in front of a quarter of the village had nothing to do with embarrassments.

"Are you alright?"

"No!" Hiccup yelled, then slapped a hand over his mouth. In a hushed voice he said, "No. She's been running from me all day."

Stoick noticed that a few people were watching curiously. Wrapping arm around his son's shoulders, he leaned closer and quietly said, "She's been on the eastside catapult for the better part of an hour. If you hurry you might catch her before she leaves."

Hiccup nodded. "Perfect! I'll go…" He paused. "Maybe I should walk up. Take Toothless with me in case she flies away, but if I'm flying toward her she'll surely try to run."

Stoick clapped him twice. "That's probably wisest. But you know she has a keen eye. Something tells me you'll be chasing her down no matter what."

Hiccup nodded slowly, not wanting to admit that his father was probably right. "Come on Toothless."

Hiccup and Toothless walked side by side, the young man trying to not look nervous or frustrated in the eyes of his people, but he had to wonder how well his acting was actually paying off. So far only their parents and friends knew about Astrid's strange behavior, and only their parents knew about last night's breakup. As the catapult came into view, he hoped again for the thousandth time that day that no one else knew.

Hiccup shielded his eyes from the midday sun as he looked up. He nearly cheered when he saw Stormfly curled up near the banister and Astrid sitting on the edge, her feet dangling over the pier. "Okay, slow and careful, bud." The duo started up the steep stairs toward the girls, hoping they wouldn't be seen until they got close. Their wish was granted for they were only ten feet below Astrid when she finally noticed them. Before Hiccup could utter a word, Astrid jumped up and woke Stormfly.

"Wait! Astrid!" Hiccup shouted, only halfway up the last ladder when they took off. He growled in his throat. "Come on, Toothless. She's not getting away this time."

Toothless chirped his ascent, standing under the ladder. Hiccup leaped into the saddle and they took off after Astrid and Stormfly. Astrid weaved her dragon around and behind houses at high speeds, but Hiccup and Toothless kept up. The dragons' wings nearly clipped houses or people walking by a few times, but both riders were intent on either running from or catching the other. Fortunately he didn't have to worry about what the people thought about him chasing her—they did that frequently anyway. To the average Hooligan, this was just another race. Although he thought he spied a few of his friends watching from a roof nearby. They would know better.

When Astrid reached the edge of the village, she dashed into the forest. Hiccup was relieved and annoyed at the same time. He didn't want Toothless to ground Stormfly in the village where people would witness a big blowup, but Astrid could hide better in the wilderness.

"Come on, Toothless. We can't lose her." Hiccup snapped his dragon's tail wider to make them fly faster. Toothless roared in excitement when he zoomed forward, nearly catching up to the Nadder. Astrid sensed how close they were getting and suddenly yanked Stormfly back to slow her down. Stormfly crowed in surprise but allowed her rider to slow them down. The boys had to barrel roll to avoid a collision.

Hiccup saw Astrid getting away, so directed Toothless into a tight twist and flip. Pulling out of the move, they zoomed after the girls. Hiccup saw a field of green grass ahead of Stormfly and knew he had to act quickly. "Toothless, rise above her a little!"

Toothless pulled up, rising ten feet above Astrid and Stormfly. Just as they flew above the field, Hiccup unsnapped his prosthetic, balanced on Toothless' back for a minute and leaped off. Stormfly cried out when another body slammed on top of hers and Astrid jerked.

"Hiccup!"

"Land!"

"No!" Astrid yelled, trying to shove him away.

"Land now, or I'll land her for you!" They fought in the saddle, Stormfly growling in irritation as one pair of hands directed her to fly faster and the other to land.

"You're not landing my dragon, Hiccup!" Astrid shouted.

Hiccup paused in his struggling, noticing the edge of the field and massive trees beyond. "Okay, then we can land without a dragon."

"What- AHH!" Hiccup wrapped his arms around her waist and yanked her off Stormfly. The dragon yelped in shock at the sudden loss of her passengers. It was only a ten foot drop into the tall thick grass, which gave them a mostly cushioned landing. They flipped, rolled and finally skidded to a stop about five feet apart.

"Ughh…" Hiccup groaned as he sat up. He didn't fail to notice Astrid scramble to her feet and dart toward the woods. "Hey!"

Astrid sprinted away from him, charging into the forest as fast as her feet could take her. She couldn't talk to him. She couldn't! It was over! There was nothing she could do to prevent this! He deserved better! She didn't stop running, even as he chased after her and cried out that she couldn't run from him forever. The desperation in his voice cut through her chest, but she didn't stop. She couldn't stop.

Oh, but she wanted to stop. She wanted to hug him and tell him how sorry she was for doing this to him. It wasn't right, it wasn't fair, both to him and to her parents and to Stoick. And to the village. They had been together for years, therefore she owed him an explanation.

But she wouldn't stop. Even if she had to leave Berk forever, she would never stop. Because only there would Hiccup stop. He had obligations to Berk, he had to become chief. He could never throw that to the side, chasing after some girl who, to the rest of the world's eyes, very clearly didn't want him. But she did.

A branch slapped her face, making her eyes prick. Or were they welling up for a completely other reason? She was tired of running, tired of hiding, tired of this sickening feeling of confusion and indecisiveness and fear tormenting inside of her. She couldn't make up her mind. She understood both sides completely, understood where she was being unfair… ridiculous even…

But she couldn't tell him why. He would never understand. He couldn't know.

A body slammed into her right side suddenly, making her shriek. Hiccup tumbled with her on the ground until he had her pinned down, a knee on her stomach and his arms holding hers down. She struggled, willing her crumbling, tiring inner strength to push him off, to hit him, punch him, anything. But she was exhausted after two days of nearly no sleep and constant emotion. All she could do was pant, avoid his eyes and try not to cry.

Hiccup was panting just as heavily, clearly winded from having to run so hard and fast to catch up with her. He hated pinning her down like this, but what could he do? She couldn't keep running! The look of fear, confusion and remorse in her eyes told him enough that she was feeling _awful_ about this and he didn't need to reprimand her harshly for it (not that he had planned to previously). She looked like she was going to cry. Just like yesterday morning, it was a shock—Astrid never cried.

"You can't keep running." He softly said, trying to meet her eyes. She swallowed thickly and closed them, unwilling to look at him. His resolve finally broke. "Astrid _please_… don't do this to me."

Astrid swallowed and wet her lips. "This isn't your fault."

"I have everything to do with it though, don't I?"

"No… it's…" She shakily inhaled. "It's not you-"

"It's all me, isn't it?" Hiccup asked, his green eyes and voice laced with hurt. Astrid finally opened her eyes to see the most depressed expression she had ever seen on him. "Did you ever love me?"

"Yes!" Astrid exclaimed, shocked. He doubted that? Well why wouldn't he… He had no idea what was going on. He had every right to assume that. "It has nothing to do with you…"

Hiccup pursed his lips, his eyebrows going down. "Is it another guy?"

"No! No no no." Her eyes widened and she shook her head wildly. He could _never_ think that. She would never do _that_ to him.

"Then what…" Hiccup lowered his head, his hair brushing her chest. She hated this. She hated all of it. "Then what _is_ it?"

Astrid opened her mouth and slowly closed it again. She had promised herself never to tell him. Then again she had also promised herself to him for life. She broke that promise… It was taking a lot of courage to break the first. "Please get off me…" Hiccup's eyes crinkled in sadness and she shook her head, her voice slightly shaking. "I'm not… n-not going to run. I just… have to tell you s-something."

Hiccup searched her eyes for a lie. If she ran away again, he didn't know what he'd do… Probably lose his mind. Quitting was very much against his personality, his motives, his life standards. But if she ran away again… he'd never be the same.

He slowly backed up off her, his hands the last to release her arms. She sat up, brushing dead leaves and twigs off of her shirt, even fiddling with her braid a little. She wanted to look everywhere other than his eyes. She could feel his piercing green gaze on her face, but she refused to look up. The fear of what she was about to do surged inside her and she felt panicky for a moment.

Hiccup sensed her fear, as if her breathing hitching every few seconds and constant fidgeting weren't telltale signs enough. "Astrid…" He scooched closer and clasped her hands in his. She didn't jerk away like she had been. Her eyes widened and she looked up at him. His expression was calm, gentle… even loving. Why would he still love her after the past day and a half of treating him like dirt?

"Sweetheart, you can tell me _anything_." Hiccup murmured, his thumb stroking her hand. She looked down at it, his thumb stretching across her hand in size. He was small in stature, but he had big blacksmith's hands, rough and worn from use in the forge, working leather. Chief's hands.

"You know that, don't you?" He asked, leaning forward to catch her gaze. Blue eyes met green and she was frozen. She couldn't look away from those big green eyes. Those eyes that were the only thing that caught her eye when they were little; the scrawny kid that always screwed up everything, but had the most expressive, most engaging, most colorful eyes she had ever seen; those eyes that found detail in objects big and small, that understood personalities of both men and dragons; those eyes that gave compassion for those who needed it.

And in those green eyes she found her courage to be honest, to be truthful, to stop running and stop hiding… to accept the compassion and love that he so clearly wanted to give her.

She criss-crossed her legs in front of her and turned so he was sitting the same in front of her. She pulled her hands away from his. "You're not going to want to touch me again, Hiccup. It's better that you don't know why."

"Let me be the judge of that." Hiccup whispered.

Astrid took a few shaky breaths, staring at her hands, which were now tightly clasped in front of her. Hiccup watched as her knuckles slowly turned white and began to get a very uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach. She had never been this rigid around him, not even when they were kids.

"I've never told anyone about this before." she said after several minutes. "Are you sure you want me to tell you? I mean you're really better off not-"

"Tell me, Astrid. We can't have secrets." He said patiently, resisting the urge to kiss her on the cheek or tuck a few loose strands of hair out of her eyes or, really, touch her at all.

"You can't tell anyone." she said to her hands, not meeting his gaze.

"You know I won't." he replied, his hands twitching with the effort to keep them away from her.

She gulped loudly and he could almost hear her heart pounding. He was beginning to feel a bit nervous. What was he about to hear?

"When I was little, there was a man. I never knew his name." Astrid said in a surprisingly steady voice. "It started with little comments. He would try to get me to be alone with him but I never would. And then he… he'd follow me. And when he caught me, he'd…" her hands were shaking very hard now. "Well you can imagine. It started with just… little things but then he'd grab me and put his hand on my mouth so I couldn't scream."

Hiccup's insides felt cold. He couldn't imagine the bright, vibrant little girl he had known when he was small being forced to… well he wasn't going to think about it. And the way Astrid's face had no expression at all when she spoke, the way her voice was steady and monotone… how long had she lived with this secret? He felt like his heart was being squeezed right into his eyelids. He blinked a few times, forcing the burning sensation in his eyes back down.

"I'm not going to tell you what he did." She shook her head. "Eventually my parents found out about what was going on and told your dad… He was hanged in the forest for everything he did to me, but it was two years after it all started. Only your dad, my parents, Gobber and the rest of the council knew about it."

Two _years_?

"But I… I'm not _pure,_ Hiccup. Or whole or… or clean… Certainly not worthy of marrying the future- Why are you crying?"

He couldn't stop the tears from falling now. And once one had slipped through his eye, a barrage of them began pouring down his face. He lifted his sleeves to wipe them away but he couldn't stem the flow. Astrid stared at him for a few seconds, her mouth slowly falling open. She had _never_ seen him cry like that. For a while, the only sounds that came from him were loud sniffles and muffled sobs.

"Hiccup, why are you-"

"Because you're not!" Hiccup's face drenched in his own tears and slightly red, shot up to face hers. "And someone should."

"Hiccup…"

He wiped his face with his sleeve again and took a few shaking breaths. "Wh-what you've been g-going through all th-these years and I had n-no idea…"

She gently placed her hands on his, absorbing some of their moisture. Slowly, she tightened her hold on them.

"It's okay…"

"It's _**not **_okay!" he shouted, making her jump. "H-he should never have t-touched you and you sh-shouldn't have had to k-keep that from anyone this long!"

"Hiccup-"

"You r-really think that I c-couldn't love you after that?" he asked raspily, tears splashing down his front and soaking his shirt all the way to his skin.

"But I'm not-"

"Yes you are!" he exclaimed indignantly, sounding a little bit angry now. "You didn't ask that man to do what he did and it's not your fault. And I'm going to spend the rest of my life making sure that _**never **_happens to you again, do you hear me?"

Astrid swallowed thickly, her heart nearly breaking at his expression. She lifted a hand and tried to wipe the tears from his eyes with her thumb. "Please don't cry…"

He reached up and held her hand in his; this time she didn't pull away. "I love you, Astrid. I don't care about your past or what you've done or what anyone has done to you. What happened back then doesn't define you and you are absolutely worthy of marrying the future chief of Berk. I love _you_. Your pain is _my_ pain. You don't have to go through any of this alone again. And you won't."

Astrid could feel tears of her own brimming to the surface now. Very slowly, she reached up and kissed him, tasting the salt from his tears. She felt like a weight had been lifted, a weight she had been carrying her entire life. When they broke apart, Hiccup kissed her on the forehead, holding the side of her face with his right hand. With his left, he reached into his pocket and took out the ring.

"Astrid Hofferson, will you marry me?" he whispered, staring into her blue eyes, bright from her tears.

"Yes." She said immediately, holding up her left hand. "Yes I will."

He slipped the ring onto her finger and then leaned down to kiss it. His tears ceased and, as he looked into her eyes, he felt like he was falling in love all over again. Astrid sniffed and pulled him into a tight hug.

"Thank you…"

"For what?"

"For being here for me. For not letting me go."

Hiccup smiled and kissed her cheek. "When I proposed to you, I made myself a promise. There's only one person worthy enough to marry this crazy Viking." Astrid laughed and sat back from the embrace, but their knees still touched. "You."

Astrid placed her hands on his face and kissed him again. He rested his hands on her neck, remembering the softness of her lips against his, the way her nose rubbed against his. She had her flaws, Thor knew he had more than his fair share of flaws… but he loved her. He loved her more than anything. And after these past few days of stress, high emotion, struggle, late night fears and tears, he could safely say that his love for Astrid Hofferson was only strengthened.

**Reunited! Wahoo! Now there's two months until the wedding, but only a few weeks to a month until the Peace Treaty at Brawn! Wahoo! I cannot wait to get to all of that ;) It's going to be such fun!**

**If you guys have any good Viking name suggestions for both people and villages, please tell me in a review or PM me! I need a few more suggestions. Thanks!**

**So what'd you think? Feel free to tell me in a review or PM, okay? I won't be changing any more chapters like I previously did bc that was necessary. But I've got a good handle on things from here on out. I'm excited with what I've got planned.**

**Also, my friend KateMarie999 has recently finished her second story for her Growing Up Haddock series, called ****Little Miracles****. I seriously almost cried at the ending… Gah it's amazing! Read ****Unexpected**** first if you want to check those out. We collaborate on stories together and proofread; if you love my stuff, I guarantee you'll love hers too! Check 'em out! ;)**

**Thanks guys! Love ya'll!**

**~EmK**


	7. Stubborn

**Okay guys, I got some questions with Astrid's past in a few reviews, so if you're interested in a little more explanation, read the next two paragraphs. If not, go ahead and read this next chappie; you're okay to skip to that ;)**

**Astrid suddenly got reminded of everything she struggled with. You don't forget torture like that no matter what, but she was young when it all happened. Over the years Astrid's resolve hardened against men that she wasn't sure if she could trust. She's firmer, harsher with even the guys her age, like Tuffnut and Snotlout (esp. the latter). She became determined to be stronger and better than most because it boosted her confidence in herself for one; it was an outlet to get better, to heal. But also she didn't want to be taken advantage of again in that area. She wouldn't let it happen again; she'd be strong enough to kill if she needed to.**

**And w/ Hiccup he was always so harmless when they were younger and they didn't get more physical in their relationship until they were actually dating, in ages 17-21 until they got engaged. And as noted in previous chapters, they don't have truly heated moments very often. They don't want to be tempted to do anything they'll regret later; they're saving that stuff for when they're married. It would take a lot for Hiccup to legitimately throw her off. And once he did, completely accidental, flashbacks kept overtaking her. She knows he didn't mean it, but she's suddenly so freaked out and she's not as rational in her thinking. That's why she only lets a few select men into her bubble bc she doesn't know if she can necessarily trust them.**

**That make sense? Hope it helps.**

**ANYWHO. This chapter is cute and fun, with some loverly sarcastic banters. I thought it was quite funny ;) Happy reading!**

**Chapter 7: Stubborn**

The next few weeks were a happy blur for Berk—the time had begun to start preparing for travel to Brawn to renew the Peace Treaty between the friendly tribes in the Archipelago. Imperishable foods, weaponry and even dragon eggs were loaded onto ships early for trading; many of the women of the tribe had collected newly knitted clothing in baskets to trade as well.

The relationship between the team had only grown stronger after Hiccup and Astrid's drama ceased to exist. The next day Astrid had profusely apologized to the Twins for her inexcusable behavior and they merely punched her arms as their way of accepting her apology. The group bickered on a constant basis to the point of driving the older generation crazy, but they knew this was a sure sign of stronger friendships.

In those weeks that followed Hiccup made sure to constantly tell Astrid he loved her and hold her hand, wrap an arm around her shoulders or waist, or give her some form of affection every day. He didn't drive her crazy like an obsessed puppy in any way; he just wanted to make sure she knew she was loved. She appreciated his daily attempts to make her feel loved and she was glad to feel her confidence returning to its normal splendor.

As the time to leave for the Treaty grew closer, Hiccup seemed to grow antsy in anticipation. It was interesting to watch a young man who generally avoided required activities be so excited about one. She couldn't put her finger on why he was so excited—was it the people? The cultures? The food? The dragons? Or was it just seeing the new friends and acquaintances he had made on his travels?

Time would only tell as they still had a week before they could leave. By now it was late march and the newest tendrils of spring were finally arriving. Snow and ice dissipated, flower buds popped out of the ground, the yaks, sheep and dragons alike pranced through the newly growing grass excitedly. Even Hiccup nearly screamed in excitement when the bitter cold temperatures finally broke to reveal budding plants. For the most part Astrid was happy her mint plants in the forest finally began to grow back. Though summer was much preferred for daily activities, the first day of spring was definitely a noted day on the calendar.

Hiccup and Toothless strolled through the village square, each deeply taking in the slightly chilled spring air. "Spring…" Hiccup sighed. "Oh how I love thee."

Toothless warbled beside him, pouncing forward when a couple children squealed and ran past them. Hiccup heard a baby crying nearby, perhaps the only piercing sound to be heard at the moment. A woman stood outside the tailor's shop, her 1-year-old wailing in her arms. No amount of bundling, shushing or bouncing made the baby stop.

The woman spied Hiccup walking by a few feet away, watching the scene unfold. But what happened next threw him completely off guard. "Oh! Hiccup!" The woman rushed forward. "Thank ODIN you are here! You can hold her for a minute can't you?"

"Erm… I- uhh…" The woman deposited the wailing baby into his arms for a moment. What was she doing? He'd never held a baby before in his life! What if he tripped on something as he always did? What if he dropped her? What if she puked on him? Or… wait, Astrid said they call that "spitting up". Such a flowery term for such a revolting experience. "I've never… erm- held a baby before."

"Oh nonsense, if you can handle big three thousand pound flying lizards, you can handle a baby." The women waved her hands around to relieve the tension in them. She grinned suddenly. "Besides, you're getting married soon. You could use the practice I'm sure!" She poked his ribs and laughed when a scarlet twinge of heat rose up his cheeks. She sighed heavily. "Okay enough chit chat, I'll be in the tailor's for just a minute. Have fun with Olivia!" The mother bustled inside, leaving him with an infant in his arms and a dragon looming confusedly over his shoulder.

Hiccup nervously looked at Olivia, who had mysteriously silenced her cries. Her brown curly hair stuck out in all directions, her brown eyes big and wide. Tears and snots alike streaked down her face, making him cringe a bit, but other than that she was quite adorable. She stared at him pensively, waiting for him to do something. He stared back awkwardly, completely unsure what to do.

"Toothless? Help?" He whispered, afraid to move for fear that she'd begin wailing again.

Toothless leaned over, the little girl looking up at him. The Night Fury puffed air out his nostrils, making the tiny girl's hair blow in all directions. She stared at him with wide eyes and Hiccup braced himself for more tears. But suddenly she held up her hands and clapped with a smile, her curved baby teeth showing.

Hiccup's mouth dropped, his heart melting. She was adorable! Were babies always this cute? Why was he just discovering this? "There's a smile." He poked her tummy with a suddenly massive finger. Were his hands really that big? Olivia's smile dropped off her face as she reached up to pull a long strand of his hair. He had to smile at her look of determination in trying to pull out his hair. He didn't think she honestly had the strength, but suddenly she fisted his hair and began yanking down.

"Ow. Ow. Ow ow ow…" He winced, trying to gently pry her little fingers out of his hair. She smiled at him again, not willing to release her hold.

"I see you've made a friend." Astrid's voice carried over from the square. He turned, still trying to pry the infant's hand out of his hair with a pained expression. From the bakery she had seen him standing with a baby in his arms and nearly melted. After a minute she had to go over and see this precious moment for herself.

"Yeah… Rather sudden." He sighed in relief when Astrid helped pry Olivia's pudgy fingers from his hair. "Thanks."

"I have to say…" Astrid smiled wide. "The dragon whisperer holding a baby? Probably the most attractive thing I've seen all month."

Hiccup made a face but spared a laugh. "Really?"

"Uh yes."

"Why?"

"I don't know." She shrugged, the baby holding her index finger. "It's just one of those things…" Her eyes met his and he smiled. He knew what she was thinking but he didn't want to voice those kinds of thoughts. They still had a month before they could be married and they both knew they didn't want kids right away. They wanted to adjust to married life, prepare for Stoick's retirement and Hiccup taking over one day, though they didn't know when that would happen. They wanted some relaxation time before throwing kids into the mix. But it was still a fun thought to entertain, especially now that he was actually holding an adorable little girl.

"What do you think they'll look like?" He quietly asked, his eyes searching hers.

Astrid smiled. "Oh, they'll have red hair." Hiccup raised an eyebrow with a knowing smile. "And big green eyes."

Hiccup breathed a laugh. "Nah, those blonde and blue genes will stubbornly shine through over mine. Hands down." Astrid slapped his arm lightly because of Olivia, making him laugh.

"Awww just look at you three!" The little girl's mom emerged from the store. "And you got her to stop crying! You two are going to be great parents."

Hiccup shrugged, handing the little girl back to her mother. "Maybe. But that won't happen for a long time."

"You say that now. Don't jinx yourself." The woman winked.

Hiccup waved a hand at the little girl, who was watching him with wide eyes. "Bye Olivia."

"Can you say bye-bye to Hiccup?" The mother waved a hand, hoping her daughter would imitate her.

Olivia stared at her mother before trying to twist out of her hold, her arms held out to Hiccup. "Awwww!" The two women cooed and Hiccup's heart both melted and twisted in dread. He smiled, unsure what to do.

"We have to go home, baby. But maybe Hiccup and Astrid can come watch you sometime if you like them that much." The woman hinted.

"Well we're pretty bus-"

"Absolutely! We'd be happy too!" Astrid interrupted enthusiastically.

"What? We will?" Astrid raised a fist to hit him but he recovered. "I mean, yeah! Definitely!"

"Alright, we'll plan on it sometime then." The woman smiled, walking away in retreat. "Thank you, Hiccup. Have a great day!"

"Thanks! You too!" The couple called, waving.

Olivia waved a hand over her mother's shoulder. "Bye!"

Astrid and Hiccup laughed, waving back. Hiccup bit his lip as they walked away, almost sad to see the little girl go. He felt Astrid's eyes on him so he asked, "What?" He faced her with an amused expression.

"Why didn't you ever tell me you liked babies?"

"Because I've never held one before." He shrugged.

"Well I'm glad you figured it out." Astrid rested her hands on his waist. "Because that was the most adorable thing to date."

Hiccup laughed and kissed her chastely. "Someday."

Astrid nodded. "Someday."

**Xxx**

Hiccup sat at his desk in the forge, small vials of random chemicals spread out before him. He'd been randomly experimenting with some here and there, but only enough to grasp general concepts. That didn't mean however that he used common sense.

Pouring two chemicals together in a bigger container, he smiled when they fizzled, bubbled and rose together at a rapid pace. "Oh… whoa buddy!" He hurriedly dropped the container in a bowl nearby, watching in fascination as the new chemical sizzled and smoked. He bounced on the balls of his feet excitedly, like a child on Snoggletog. "Ahh this is so cool!" He nearly squealed, sitting back down at his desk to discover what other reactions he could find.

Little did he know the very bad decision he made in that moment…

**Xxx**

Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs and the Twins landed their dragons just off the hill leading up to the Haddock house. Hiccup had accidentally skipped out on a race with his friends for who knew what reason, so most of them were pretty annoyed. Astrid checked the house and confirmed it empty moments later. She had no idea where he was at the moment. But she would find out.

"Sometimes, I swear, he's no different than he was a 12-year-old!" Astrid growled, leading her pack of companions into the village square, her eyes searching for her fiancé.

"Must be infuriating." Snotlout drawled from behind her. She was tempted to punch him, but a sudden explosion booming from the forge, a bright light flashing for a moment, and an eerie black gas leaking outside distracted her.

"Oh my- HICCUP!" Astrid ran toward the forge, not caring if anyone followed her. She was relieved when the back door flew open and Hiccup stumbled out, his skin and clothes darkened with a black soot and smoking. He coughed hard from the fumes, but otherwise seemed okay.

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third!" Astrid slapped him three times for emphasis. "What is WRONG with you?! First you skip out on a flight with the team, second you do so to play around with foolhardy things that gods know where you got them from, and third you nearly kill yourself in the process! I have half a frieking mind to strangle you!" Astrid screeched, slapping his arm again before huffing loudly. "Now WHAT have you to say for yourself?"

Hiccup lightly coughed before biting his lip, but it was obvious he was trying to hide a smile. "That… was awesome."

Astrid rolled her eyes, her voice dangerously dropping a few levels. "Hiccup-"

"THAT WAS SO STINKING AWESOME!" Hiccup cheered, completely ignoring how much trouble he was in. "I wouldn't recommend the Twins getting a hold of that stuff, but I tell you it is cool-"

"HICCUP!" Astrid roared. Hiccup shut his mouth, his hands behind his back and shoe awkwardly kicking the dirt. "Do you want to give me grey hair?" Hiccup pouted and shook his head. "I thought not. So why don't you stay _out_ of the forge, go home, get yourself cleaned up and stay there until you are allowed to come to dinner. And if you keep acting up, you're going to bed _without_ dinner!" Hiccup's mouth stretched into a grin the more she talked. This was ridiculous. He was pretty sure she was being sarcastically serious.

Tuffnut leaned over to Ruffnut. "I am so glad I'm not marrying her. This sounds exactly like mom."

Ruffnut slid over to Hiccup. "So what did you use to make Gobber's forge blow up?"

"Ooo! Let me show you!" Hiccup jumped, turning to run back inside. Astrid caught the back of his tunic and yanked him back until he was sprawled on the ground.

"I gave you three instructions, Hiccup." Astrid squatted in front of him, looking down into his eyes. She spoke slow and firm as if speaking to a child. "What did I tell you?"

"But-"

"Ah."

Hiccup pursed his lips and tried again. "I just-"

"No! What did I say?"

"What am I? Your child now?"

"No, you're my future husband who only has three limbs and I intend for him to stay in one piece for our wedding day." Astrid shot back, her eyes hard.

Hiccup frowned. "But Astriiiiiiiiiiiid-"

"No! Stop whining like a 2-year-old." She stood, her feet now on either side of his legs. She grabbed his arms to pull him up but Hiccup remained relaxed and limp against her. "Ugh. Come on, seriously! You're so acting like a baby!"

"And you're being ridiculous!" Hiccup laughed. "I'm your future husband. You should be used to this stuff by now."

"The acting like a baby when you don't get what you want?"

"Ouch." Snotlout snickered.

"No! The blowing up stuff!" Hiccup scowled at Snotlout but stuck to his argument. He still remained on the ground, limp as a rag doll.

Astrid sighed heavily, leaning over him. He wasn't always so heavy. "Hiccup, don't make me drag you to your house."

"By all means. I need a bath anyway."

Astrid dropped his arms and stood tall with a growl. "Why are you being so childish!"

"Why are you acting like a parent!" Hiccup laughed back, raising his head out of the dirt.

Tuffnut raised his hand to speak, catching Astrid's attention. Hiccup twisted his neck to see who she was looking at. "Are we about to witness another breakup?"

"No." The couple simultaneously replied.

Astrid kicked Hiccup's right knee, making him jerk. "Get up. You're being dumb."

"I'm _not_ being dumb! You're not the boss of me! I like dirt! It's very soothing!"

"Oh my _gods_, Hiccup!"

"Oh my gooooods, Astrid!" Hiccup drawled, laughing when she kicked his leg again. Their friends laughed as well, making her patience wear thinner.

"You know what!? FINE." Astrid stalked away toward the village. "Lie in the dirt all day if you want!"

"I will! Thanks for your permission, I was hoping for it!" Hiccup shouted from his position in the dirt, laughing a little. He shook his head. "That was fun. This has been the best argument we've had in a long time."

Fishlegs stood over him a few moments later. "Uh… Hiccup?"

"Hm?"

"Aren't you going to get up?"

"Nope. She wants me to lie in the dirt all day, then lie in the dirt all day I shall."

"Not htat I'm trying to upset anyone or cause anymore problems… but you _are _acting a little childish."

Snotlout snorted. "Oh this is nothing new."

"What's life if you can't be a little childish sometimes?" Hiccup asked, crossing his arms with an indifferent shrug. "Besides, it's kind of fun. Ticking her off."

"Yeah, until that first week of marriage. She'll surely have her revenge then."

"Probably. But it'll be worth it."

"You're not making much sense. You want repercussions?" Fishlegs asked incredulously.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow at his friend but didn't reply. Snotlout answered for him. "Maybe Hiccup is attracted to her attacks and repercussions for stupidity. Maybe he's doing all of this on purpose so on that wedding night-"

"HEY!" Hiccup snapped up from the dirt, ready to clobber his friend, but Snotlout had already taken off running in the opposite direction. "Jerkface." Hiccup lay back in the dirt, crossing his arms behind his head to stare at the clouds.

Fishlegs rolled his eyes. "Aren't you going to clean up the forge?"

"Probably."

"Probably?"

"It's not that bad!" Hiccup raised his head to look at the smokey black wood. "Mkay, so it could be worse…"

"The forge is in shambles-"

"Fish." Hiccup interrupted patiently. "I know what I have to do. It'll get done. I just want to see Astrid's face when she walks back over here in a few hours and I'm still sitting here in the dirt."

"You're so mature."

"And I'm next in line to be chief. Feeling confident?" Hiccup smirked.

"Oh Hiccup, you boost my confidence by the hour." Fishlegs sighed before turning to walk away.

"Where you goin?" Hiccup leaned back to look at his retreating back.

"What? Did you actually think I'd stick around to give my bum of a future chief sympathy, entertainment, compassion or all of the above?"

"Well I got your attention."

"Aghhh!" Fishlegs walked away faster. "I can't take your snarky sarcasm today!"

"Sarcasm is good for the soul! Remember that!" Hiccup shouted after him. He shook his head at the clouds with a grin. "You'll thank me one day." After a few moments of silence he realized Ruffnut and Tuffnut had disappeared. He sincerely hoped that wasn't a bad thing, and that they had just gotten bored and moved on.

He sighed, watching the clouds go by. He ignored the people who walked past him, giving him confused glances. He grinned when a few would stop to make sure he wasn't dead, but he assured them he was completely fine, just enjoying the scenery. They shook their heads at their queer heir and moved on with their daily tasks.

He was thankful neither his father nor Stoick were around the village that day. He didn't want to be lectured by either man for his actions in the forge (purely accidental) and presently lying in the dirt (purely intentional). He would take Astrid's lectures as they came because he rather enjoyed them—he learned from them or he used them to mess with her. His father's and mentor's lectures were much more daunting. No, he was content to lie here in wait for his fiancée's return. Hopefully she'd actually come back around or he might be here til tomorrow. He chuckled to himself. Her face after eighteen hours of him lying here? Oh gods… The thought was too humorous.

After a while of watching the clouds pass by, picking out shapes, he felt his eyes drift to a close. He didn't know when he fell asleep, but it must have been some time later when familiar footfalls sounded somewhere behind his head.

"Are you serious?"

Hiccup's face pulled into a grin and he blinked his eyes open to see Astrid towering over him, her arms crossed, her gaze annoyed. "Hey babe-"

"Don't try my patience with flattery." Astrid scowled. "If you wanted to lay in the dirt all day, you should've invited me and we'd go to the cove where the ground is at least comfortable."

"That wasn't the agreement." Hiccup stretched, his stiff back whining at the sudden movements.

"We didn't have an agreement at all."

"No no, you said 'Lie in the dirt all day for all I care'." Hiccup smiled up at her. "And so I did."

"To prove what? That you really are being a stubborn baby?" Astrid raised her eyebrow. Hiccup shrugged his eyebrows in response. She made a face. "Don't do that."

"Why not?" Hiccup smirked, shrugging his eyebrows again. "Does that bother you?"

Astrid rolled her eyes, teetering to one side for a second. "You are so impossible sometimes."

"But remember, I chose you because you're the only one who can tolerate me." Hiccup smiled. "Because we're a perfect match."

The way he lilted the words "perfect match" made her head tilt, a small smile coming to her face. She sighed through her nose, dropping down to her knees, resting each beside his head. He looked up at her expectantly when she rested her hands on his face before gently caressing his lips with hers. Hiccup lightly sighed, her bangs tickling his chin. Her fingers slowly moving across his jawline made a short scratching sound on his facial hair.

Astrid pulled away to gently kiss his forehead. "You're so stubborn." She gazed into his eyes with a small smile. "But I still love you."

Hiccup smiled, running a finger down her face. "Thanks for caring."

"That explosion just scared me. I really do need you in one piece."

"Oh relax. Don't overreact." Hiccup slowly sat up and twisting around to face her. "It wasn't _that_ big."

"Big enough." Astrid deadpanned before standing. She held up a hand, which he accepted. As he stretched his legs a little, she walked toward the forge. "Alright, let's get this cleaned up before Gobber gets back."

"Probably a good idea," Hiccup walked in after. "When's he coming back?"

"In about a half hour."

"Oh…" Hiccup stopped in shock. "Wait, how long was I out there?"

Astrid slowly turned to him with a bemused expression. "Two hours."

**The Hairy Hooligans and other tribes travel to Brawn in the next chapter for the Peace Treaty! I am so excited; I have loads of new characters and plot ideas to unravel there. I can't wait for you guys to read it! If you have any creative Viking-like names for tribes, please let me know! I need at least two more, and I'll give you a shout-out in an AN that you helped me w/ a name! **

**Thanks for reading and for all the amazing reviews & support! ****135 days until HTTYD2!**

**~EmK**


	8. Cultural Differences

**Hey guys, so So SOOOO sorry this chapter took so stinking long to get done! First off, it is longer with TONS of things in it that I wanted to install by way of characters, culture, plot, etc. Second, every stinking time I wanted to write I ended up getting the stomach flu (last week) and then I got the achy flu this week! So it has been super slow pickens. Apologies.**

**Thank you to everyone who threw in options for names! I considered all of them but it was a lot harder than I thought. How do novelists do this in real books? Hard work! Anywho, thank you BookQueen12321 for your entry "Rone"! I am changing it to Rune, but this island will prove quite important ;) Thank you for helping! :D**

**This is an ****important note****: I have changed the rating of this story to M for only a couple specific scenes that will be coming up. ****None of them are explicit sex scenes!**** I love romance but we all know what happens in that area; I am not writing it. I am changing it to M because of blood, violence and all that jazz. Just an FYI!**

**This chapter has a lot of new things, lots of fun and some cutes. Pay attention to our new characters as they are quite important. And this chappie is literally about 21-22 typed pages so it is EXTRA long for you guys today! I made up for it for taking so long ;)**

**Anywho, let's get crackin'!**

**Chapter 8: Cultural Differences**

Svala puckered her lips, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword at the few flirtatious looks some of the visiting Lugubrious Lava Louts gave her. The Louts were a handsome lot, but were known for their charm, daring and mischievous treatment toward pretty women, married or not. Their home island of Styr resided in slightly warmer waters than most members of the Archipelago, therefore the sun blessed the inhabitants with suntanned skin to cover rippled muscles.

A hand rested on her arm and she flinched, her sword drawing partially from its sheath. Her father chuckled. "Relax darling, the men wouldn't dare lay a finger on you." Kiev rounded his hand to cup her shoulder.

"I don't know," Svala remarked flatly. "They seem tenacious enough."

"Tenacious, tough, intimidating," Kiev nodded in agreement. "But not as much as your father." Svala smiled in response. What was she worried about? She knew she could take on anybody who tried to cross her anyway but her father was at her back. People might judge her by her size but they wouldn't take her for granted if they saw her father standing nearby. Now if only they could see her in action and just not judge her by her size at all.

Trying to see over the heads of the hundreds, seemingly thousands of people milling around Brawn, Svala tried to see the ships. The Rude Runians had recently docked in, their chief and her two sons clambering down the boardwalk with calm steps. A troupe of strong burly men followed them, clearly their bodyguards.

"Why do they have bodyguards?"

Kiev followed her gaze and he shrugged. "Scarlett Deathblow always had a demanding air of authority. She doesn't need protection because she can fight rather well, but she feels the world needs to know that she is important enough to walk around with a troupe of protectors. Or some such nonsense. Perhaps we shall never know." Kiev stepped forward and hailed the woman. "Greetings, Scarlett!"

The woman's gaze swung to his and she strode forward. Svala watched her movements, lithe and smooth, her body long and lean. Her thick auburn hair was braided at the back of her head. Svala had never met this woman before and the smile on her face as she greeted Kiev seemed real enough, but her blue eyes held a cooled demeanor. Svala wasn't sure what to think of her. However Scarlett's long thin blades crossed behind her shoulders caught the young woman's attention.

"Those are some interesting swords you have." Svala interjected whatever the adults had been saying as she walked around Scarlett to inspect the swords. One tall, thick man rested a hand on the girl's arm when she got too close to his chief.

"Omar, relax. She is just a girl." Scarlett effortlessly smacked the man's hand. Svala frowned at the word "girl" but was relieved when the man released her. The tall man winked at her with a smirk, wishing she had the authority to punch his lights out. Well, she was the heir of Brawn…

"Kiev, you remember my son and heir, Vael?" Scarlett asked the fellow chieftain. Vael stepped forward, dipping his head low and slow. Svala wondered if he really respected her father or if he was being sarcastic. Or disrespectful. He acquired his mother's auburn hair and piercing blue eyes as well as her height and girth. He was tall, thin, attractive (not that she was specifically noting that last characteristic). Her eyes darted away when his eyes moved to her small form.

"How could I forget?" Kiev nodded graciously. He turned back to Scarlett. "How were your travels?"

"Long and boring, I must say. Would have done us well to catch a dragon or three for some entertainment, but we don't _do_ that anymore. Fun is hard to come by these days."

"Ohh it's not so bad. Dragons really are fantastic creat-"

"Yes yes, the Haddock heir already gave me the tours and lectures." Scarlett rolled her eyes. "The boy can prattle on for ages about dragons."

"Is that a problem?" Svala asked, narrowing her eyes at this relative stranger.

Scarlett smiled widely at her. "No, of course not. To each her own, I suppose. Here, would you like to look?" The lean woman unsheathed one of her swords off her back with a flourish, handing it hilt out toward Svala. The young red-head didn't want to hold her sword… it was so beautiful! What if it broke in her hands? "Here darling, go ahead." Scarlett laughed, almost pushing it into her hands.

Svala felt like it was Snoggletog, the ornate red and black designs running up the hilt transfixing her. "Wow…" she breathed.

Kiev chuckled beside her. "My Svala always did love weapons."

"And I always did love little girls." Scarlett sighed, straightening. The smile on Vael's face momentarily faltered but he looked into the crowd, pretending to be distracted by something else.

"Oh! Where is Colt?" Kiev asked, looking around. How could he have forgotten to welcome the second heir to the Rude Runians?

"Right here, sir."

"Oh!" Kiev whipped to his left, nearly knocking the young man over. He had been standing there the whole time and had gone unnoticed… how embarrassing for the host chief not to notice! "I'm very sorry, lad. Welcome to Brawn!"

Colt gave him a small smile and nodded. "Thank you sir."

Svala stopped gaping at the sword and took in the boy's stature. He was lean and tall like both his mother and brother, also having acquired her blue eyes, but his hair was light blonde. She figured his father must have been blonde for his hair to be so contrasted to his theirs. He stood with his arms crossed, his face slack of expression or personality. He watched the crowds almost bored, but she wondered when his eyes would dart nervously every few seconds. What was he nervous about? Did he not like crowds?

"Now, now, Colt, don't slouch." Scarlett strode forward and patted her son on the back. "How many times do I have to tell you?"

"Yes, mother." Colt said meekly, almost nervously, straightening up and taking a step away from Scarlett almost like he thought she might burn him with her eyes.

"Look at Svala's posture. Now that is becoming of a tribal heir, don't you think?" Scarlett snipped, making Colt look away passively. Vael's eyes narrowed in annoyance, but he remained silent.

Svala, who was beginning to become rather uncomfortable with being put on display, gave Scarlett a very fake smile which she returned. Colt watched the two of them with an odd expression on his face. Svala couldn't quite place it but it made her feel very uneasy. There was something about this trio that seemed strangely false. Or perhaps they simply weren't good at first impressions. Scarlett stepped forward and this time patted Vael on the back again when he showed any signs of slouching. She did seem to be rather strict about it, though Vael gave her a decidedly annoyed glance whereas Colt had meekly complied.

"Now remind me again, what is the age difference between you two?" Kiev asked, pointing between the two young men.

Colt made no move to reply while Vael smiled broadly. "I'm twenty-two, sir. The squirt is sixteen."

"You realize we are the same size?" Colt finally spoke, a slight edge in his voice.

"Colt, do not argue with your brother. It is not becoming. And how many times do I need to tell you to stand up straight?" Scarlett ranted. Svala stole a short glance at her father while Colt slowly, exaggeratedly righted himself back into the proper stance.

Vael smirked at his brother. "Yep, we wouldn't want you to be handicapped for the rest of your life because you can't even stand up straight."

Colt looked up at Kiev and bit out, "Excuse me."

"Colt!" Scarlett shouted, drawing the attention of many villagers. "Stop being a coward and get back here! Colt!" The 16-year-old paid her no heed, walking into the crowd at a fast pace. Scarlett huffed loudly. "Well I never… I can't fathom where he gets the audacity to walk away from his host-"

"No no, it's alright." Kiev assured her. "I'm sure he had good reason." He stole a short glance at Svala, who understood his hidden meaning. With his mother's henpecking and his brother being a jerk, who wouldn't want to walk away?

"If it wasn't to prove his own title, then I don't know what that good reason could be." Vael mused, tucking his hands into his pockets.

"His title?" Svala asked.

"Colt the Cowardly!" Vael grinned as if he was telling an exciting story. "He walks away from almost every argument and issue that comes up. I suppose it's all for the better. I mean, I'm going to be chief long before him. Wouldn't do to have a cowardly chief."

Kiev had frowned long ago, but managed a kind response. "Maybe he just doesn't like to pick fights?"

"He's a Deathblow." Scarlett deadpanned. "All Deathblows pick fights."

Svala snorted. "Well, I suppose it is a good thing we are signing a Peace Treaty then." She returned Scarlett's blade to her and thanked her.

"Oh you are very welcome, dear," Scarlett smiled broadly. "Anytime you want to hold one, or even both of them, let me know." Svala nodded with a smile. Scarlett turned back to Kiev, "I hope you don't mind me saying so but I do hope we can get this Treaty over with soon. In my experience, things like this always seem to be excuses for showing off."

Kiev chuckled. "Oh yes, but all in good fun."

Scarlett sighed deeply. "Yes... yes, fun."

Svala looked up at Vael to find him watching her already, though not in any particular way. Maybe he was sizing her up a bit because she was small, and just like everyone else her size was overestimated. She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "So what was that? Humiliating your brother?"

Vael smirked with a light shrug. "Aw come on, he's my little brother. What person with a little brother or sister doesn't make fun of them every so often?"

Svala shrugged. "I guess. It isn't like you were making your jokes obvious though. You were legitimately criticizing him-"

"Trust me, he could use a little picking on. He needs to man up." Vael raised an eyebrow. "I mean, not that something would ever happen to me, but if I died by the plague next week he would need to be chief. And, though you didn't hear this from me, I would not be confident in letting Colt the Cowardly be chief next. No way."

Svala rolled her eyes. "He can't be _that_ bad."

"Oh he can. And he is." Vael nodded. "But I suppose it could always be worse."

A loud low horn blew across the island, cutting through the noise of multiple tribes roaming through one village. Kiev marched forward til he was close to the docks. Svala, Scarlett, Vael and her troupe followed after him to see who was arriving. The lookout saw his chief from his high perch and set down his horn. "Chief! It's the Hooligans! They're here!"

"Excellent!" Kiev nodded, happy his friends were finally arrived.

"Lovely." Scarlett muttered under her breath. Only Svala seemed to catch it, giving the woman a confused glance. She said nothing though, following her father's gaze to the ocean ahead of them. People began shouting in excitement when the Hooligan's arrival was announced. Svala could hear the words "dragons" and "Haddock" pass through the crowd behind her.

Ships could be seen in the hazy outline of the horizon. It would be another half hour before the ships docked alongside their fellow Archipelagos'. But it was the line of dragons flying high in the air that made the murmurs of excitement grow to shouts. Fingers pointed, children jumped excitedly. Svala smiled, barely recognizing the Night Fury she had met a month prior. She couldn't see the rider for they were so far away, but she was beyond excited to see them again.

When the line of dragons drew nearer, the people were shocked when Hiccup and a young woman stood on top of their dragons' saddles and held hands for a few moments. "What are they doing?" Kiev asked out loud with hundreds of others. But they all nearly screamed at what happened next.

**Xxx**

Ships everywhere. People everywhere. This is what Brawn looked like from the skies about two thousand feet high in the sky. Hiccup sat back in his saddle, rolling his left shoulder in preparation. He then turned toward his twelve combined friends and other Hooligan riders fanned out in a V-shape behind him. "Alright guys, you ready for this?"

"Oh we are so ready for this! Let's get this thing going!" Snotlout whooped in excitement.

"Yeahhh-heaahhhhhh!" Ruffnut crowed loudly, making Tuffnut cover his ears.

"Owwww, why don't you blow out my eardrums?"

"Okay!"

"Knock it off!" Astrid shouted from Hiccup's right flank. The Twins snapped back into focus before they created a scene. Fishlegs sighed in relief from the other side of them, riding his beloved Meatlug. "If we're going to do this, we need to do it now." She turned to her fiancé, her expression hard, determined but her heart pounding. "Are you ready?"

Hiccup nearly laughed. "I'm always ready for this. The question is, are you?"

Astrid faced forward, choosing to ignore him. "Formation ready?" She called.

"Yes!"

"Okay." She looked back at her grinning future husband. "Then let's do this." At the same pace as Hiccup, she braced her hands at the front of her saddle, pulling her feet up under her and standing tall atop her gliding Nadder. Stormfly kept the same pace as Toothless, careful not to jerk. They had practiced this many times but it was still nerve-wracking. Hiccup grasped Astrid's outstretched hand to partially give her balance and mostly courage. It wasn't every day you leapt off your dragon two thousand feet in the air in front of thousands of people.

"Alright Hooligans!" Hiccup shouted. "Let's give 'em a show!"

Astrid and Hiccup bent their knees and simultaneously jumped forward, pulling their stomachs toward the sky so they flipped upside down. They dove straight toward the ocean and both Hiccup and Fishlegs began counting the seconds at that moment. Toothless and Stormfly dove after them at zooming speeds. People shouted in shock and surprise from below, which the couple couldn't hear with the wind screaming in their ears. The rest of the riders could hear it though as their two leaders zoomed faster and faster toward the ocean.

When Fishlegs reached the number "ten", Snotlout whooped excitedly. "Let's goooo!" Hookfang roared just as excitedly, lurching forward into a steep dive. Five other riders and dragons followed suit while the remaining six flew in various directions, all performing loops, twists and other tricks as they flew. The people confusedly watched the strange flight patterns and the plummet of the Hooligan heir and his fiancée.

As the couple and their two dragons fell, their troupe of riders dove in from all sides, their dragons blasting fire in all directions around the falling couple. People shouted in shock when they seemed to disappear in a pillar of fire but neither of them was scorched; they kept falling. Kiev swore he could see Hiccup grinning.

The twelve riders flew in hard twists and loops around the couple and two dragons, weaving in complicated maneuvers that made the untrained eye miss who was who. Red dragons, green dragons, blue, yellow, they all mixed as they dove. It was a wonder no one crashed! The three Gronckle riders did not join in the complicated twists, but rather spit lava blasts beside the tunnel of dragons and riders. A Nadder and two Nightmares broke off from the diving mayhem and shot the burning rocks, making them explode in all directions. The chemicals inside exploded, sending fiery sparks in all directions. The people cheered when the Gronckles and riders repeated the dazzling spectacle.

Hiccup stared at the ocean, gauging their time. They were two hundred feet above the water… Almost time… "Now!" Hiccup released Astrid's hand as they twisted at the same time, each grabbing onto their dragons' saddles. Astrid twisted Stormfly off to the left in a fancy loop de loop, but Hiccup blasted Toothless at a steep arc toward the water. People began shouting that there was something wrong when the duo suddenly snapped upwards, parallel to the ocean. Lines of water shot up beside them, Toothless' sonar whistling at a high pitch. They broke the sound barrier, blasting hard and fast over the shoreline and past people, nearly knocking people off their feet.

Hiccup whooped in excitement as they climbed back into the sky. The mixed crowds cheered and clapped below them, shouting his name, Toothless' name, the words "Hooligans" and "Berk" mixing through the vast crowd. Yes, showing off was full of vanity, but he had to show the amazing thrill of dragon riding. How could he possibly pass that up?

Toothless roared, shooting a plasma blast ahead of him in his excitement. "Easy there bud," Hiccup patted his head. "We don't want to push it. We're actually above people now." Toothless barked understandably from under him. But the humans' encouraging shouts for more plasma blasts were very tempting.

Hiccup steered Toothless around the beach again to rejoin Astrid, who was smiling down at the people who were waving to her. "Well how did you like it?"

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Alright alright, free falling is starting to grow on me. You only made me practice that eighteen times."

"Well I wouldn't want you to be scared in front of thousands of people. You can barely handle being scared in front of one." Hiccup jested. A sharp punch on the arm made him chuckle. Astrid steered Stormfly a little closer and pulled him closer by the sleeve to kiss his cheek, which was a little difficult due to the elaborate leather flying suit he wore.

A few high pitch whistles broke through the air when she kissed his cheek and he gave her a mischievous look. Toothless flapped to regain altitude and they broke apart, making people "awww" in sadness, clearly wanting more displayed affection than that.

"How many people are coming to the wedding again?" Hiccup asked jokingly.

Astrid scoffed. "Not this many, I don't care who thinks we are adorable." Hiccup laughed.

The couple steered their dragons to a somewhat open spot where they could land, which was thankfully right next to where Stoick would direct the Hooligan ships to make port. When they finally slid from their saddles, people were already pressing in around them asking questions about dragons and flying, complimenting them, congratulating them. If they hadn't mentally prepared for this beforehand, they would have found the experience quite stifling. But a booming voice soon called the people to give the couple and their dragons some breathing space.

"Kiev!" Hiccup wrapped his arms around the large man, gasping when he was slapped on the back. "Good to see you again!"

"Tis good to see you again as well, Hiccup." Kiev laughed. He then looked to Astrid. "Well now, this is the lovely Astrid then, is it? You said she was beautiful, but you were not kidding."

Astrid rolled her eyes with a smile. "He would tell the entire Archipelago about me."

"Ah but a man who doesn't talk about the one he loves isn't a man you want to marry." Kiev winked at Hiccup slyly.

Astrid grinned with a shrug, easing her hand into Hiccup's. "Good point." They smiled at each other widely before looking back at Kiev. "It's nice to officially meet you, sir."

"Please, call me Kiev." The vast blonde replied, shaking her other hand heartily.

Astrid nodded in agreement. When Kiev turned away in search of his daughter a moment later, she leaned close to Hiccup. "You were right. He's amazing."

"He's a big guy with a big heart. I love him." Hiccup readily agreed.

Snotlout, Fishlegs and the Twins landed moments later, all four talking excitedly about the amazing spectacle. The rest of the Hooligan riders landed around them as well. Hiccup walked over, patting a few of the dragons on the neck. "Great job guys. You're officially free to do whatever you want until my father comes in."

"Ooo twenty minutes. How gracious of you." Gustav slumped on his elbow. Fanghook huffed a pillar of smoke at Hiccup, which he waved away with his hand.

"What's your attitude?" Hiccup asked, scratching the dragon's jaw. Fanghook purred, his back leg kicking as he did so.

"I want to be free to do whatever I want all the time!" Gustav shouted, gestulating wildly with his arms.

"I was talking to Fanghook." Hiccup smirked.

Astrid nudged Hiccup's arm as she added, "And if you keep waving your arms around like that, people might think you to be Hiccup." Hiccup deadpanned, making them laugh.

"Gustav, don't be ridiculous." Snotlout snipped from Hookfang's shoulder. "We don't need more than one Hiccup. I can barely stand him."

"Oh come on, you love me." Hiccup smirked.

"Don't."

"You'd be completely lost without me."

"You were the one who didn't pack any food when you got us stuck on Outcast Island!"

Hiccup swiveled around. "O-kay, first off, _you_ were the one who left the group and I had to chase after you, so your antics got us stuck on Outcast Island. Second, you raided my satchel, took the biscuit out of said satchel, and then proceeded to whine that I hadn't brought food."

"Yeah, and then your dragon _ate_ said biscuit!" Snotlout pointed to Toothless accusingly. "He never repaid me for that."

"Why would he? It was _my_ biscuit to begin with."

Astrid finally huffed. "Oh ladies, stop fighting about the biscuit for Odin's sake, it has been five years!"

"I'm still bitter!" Snotlout cried. "This has to be resolved!"

"Personally I just think it's funny to bicker over a biscuit that was eaten five years ago. Just saying." Hiccup remarked, earning a slap to the arm.

"Well quit, it's ann-" Astrid stopped, a grin coming to her face. "Heather!"

Heather pushed her way through the crowd, running into her blonde friend's open arms. "Astrid! Oh gods, I've missed you!" Both girls missed Hiccup elbowing Snotlout in the ribs, but both noticed when Hiccup was suddenly sprawled out on the ground.

"Hiccup? You alright?" Heather asked, reaching a hand out.

"Oh you know, just clumsy." Hiccup pulled himself up and gave her a hug, mouthing 'you owe me' to Snotlout over her shoulder. Snotlout stuck his tongue out in return. "How are you doing?"

"Great! Things have been good here." Heather replied, giving hugs or handshakes to the rest of the group. But she stopped when Snotlout was the last for her to greet.

"Hi Snotlout," Heather smiled knowingly.

Snotlout gulped, trying to avoid all his friend's smirks (especially Hiccup's) in his peripheral. "Hi," He squeaked, quickly cleared his throat. "Hi."

Hiccup covered his mouth to cover his laughter. This was just priceless. He had found out about a year prior that his two friends had been exchanging letters via Terrible Terror. Heather had initiated the first note. Snotlout had burst into his house at a bright five am asking what to say, how to reply, how to begin a little message that was clearly such a wide milestone in his life. Hiccup was ecstatic to say the least and Snotlout horribly regretted going to him for help from the beginning.

Heather pushed her bangs behind her ear with a smile, awkwardly sticking a hand out to Snotlout. He blinked at it before dumbly shaking it and avoiding eye contact.

Astrid huffed. "Oh for the love of-" She stepped forward and nearly pushed Heather into Snotlout's arms, forcing them to hug. The hug went a bit smoother than the handshake, both sharing a few comments that weren't as awkward, though Snotlout was blushing by the end of the hug. He looked over to Hiccup, who was still grinning. "Shutup." Hiccup laughed, resting a hand on Toothless' head.

"Hiccup!" The young man was nearly knocked off his feet when a small redhead ran from the crowd and hugged him tightly from behind.

"Gah! Svala! Hi! Ugh, can't breathe!" Hiccup managed through a squeezed torso. Astrid's eyes narrowed at the girl's tight grip on her fiancé.

"Sorry! Just got excited." Svala released him and stepped back. "Hi Toothless!" The girl immediately set to rubbing Toothless' scales behind his neck. He raised his head purring loudly, making Svala smile. "You don't get enough pampering, do you?"

Astrid snorted. "You kidding? He gets more pampering than the average female."

"I don't give him that much attention." Hiccup argued.

"Oh yes you do," Astrid faced him. Svala watched them interact with interest. "You dote on him night and day."

"And you don't give Stormfly tons of attention? She's the dragon with vanity issues. And you know what I always say: your choice of dragon is a good reflection on you." Hiccup replied, pausing a moment to reflect on what just came out of his mouth. His eyes widened in realization and at Astrid's look.

"Ohh really, so I'm vain?" She stepped toward him, making him back up quickly with his hands up.

"No! I mean yes, but you're beautiful too! Beautiful dragon for a beautiful girl right? Those go hand in hand too! Like Toothless is clumsy and puts his foot in his mouth all the time so surely he's as stupid and bumbling as me, right? I'm sorry, don't hurt me please!" Hiccup backed up until his backbone was pressed up against Stormfly's chest, but neither female would let him move. He finally settled on squeezing his eyes shut with his hands shielding his face, awaiting the death blow.

Astrid stood before him for a moment, contemplating how she would discipline him this time. She couldn't make up her mind so she flicked his forehead, nearly making him slip to the ground with a squeak. "You'll pay for that later."

Svala piped up from the group. "Hiccup, in case you needed a second opinion on Astrid, I approve."

Hiccup huffed. "Thank you, Svala. I was searching for that second opinion." Astrid smiled at him as he stood back up straight, glancing up at Stormfly to see if she'd smack him. Astrid grabbed him by the leather strap on his chest and pulled him in for a short kiss.

Hiccup smiled. "Is that payback?"

"Oh no. Payback won't be nearly as enjoyable." Astrid shrugged her eyebrows before turning away.

Hiccup sighed. "I can't wait."

**Xxx**

Hiccup was playing with fire and he knew it. He tiptoed through the borrowed house as silently as he could in search of Astrid's room. The visiting chiefs' families (and in this case the future chief's future family) were given living quarters to stay in while their tribes built tents or stayed on their ships. The Hofferson family was given a house to stay in as well as the Haddocks due to their children's engagement, even though Olaf tried very hard to turn the offer down. Kiev insisted and the matter was closed.

An hour ago Hiccup had woken up and he was so excited to get the day started. He had so much he wanted to show Astrid and he simply could not wait around a minute longer for her to wake up. He gently pushed her door open and slipped inside, careful not to make a peep. If Olaf caught him sneaking into his daughter's room at this early hour, he'd be toast.

Hiccup allowed himself a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. His eyes picked out the shape of Astrid sleeping under the covers of her bed a few feet in front of him, her bags of clothing she had brought with her strewn across the floor. He smiled, excited for the day they would move into their mostly built house and they would figure out how to live together. It was the little things that he was excited for, the things that he had yet to know about his long-time girlfriend and fiancée that he was excited to learn, such as the pet peeves that she had or her daily habits. Did she take her braid out every night when she went to sleep? Did she fold her clothes neatly in her dresser drawers or did she throw her clothes all over the place like he did? Was she a complete neat-freak or did she clean when she felt it was necessary? These, amongst many others, were questions his soul longed for answers to, but only marriage could grant.

Hiccup crept forward, careful to step over her bags and not trip on anything. There was one man that he had met who had no feet at all; he walked around on two peg legs and he did so flawlessly! Hiccup was baffled, but whether by the man's talent or his own clumsiness when he had a foot was beyond him. At any rate it certainly wouldn't do to startle his girl awake at this hour.

Stopping in front of her bed, he looked down at her, a gentle smile coming to his face. Hiccup crouched down in front of her, smiling at the adorable sight of a piece of hair stuck in her mouth, her face mashed against her pillow. She had one arm tucked close to her chest while the other lay by her hip on the bed. All in all, she looked extremely peaceful… he almost hated to wake her up.

He reached up a hand and pulled the strands of hair out of her mouth. His fingertips lingered at her cheek, spreading up to her temple to brush her thick hair out of her face. Hiccup leaned forward and kissed her brow. "Astrid?" He whispered.

No response. He smiled, breathing a small laugh. "Astrid, wake up." He gently nudged her shoulder, stroking her cheek with his other hand. "Aaaaaaaaastrid?"

"Hmmmmmmm…" Astrid finally moaned, curling herself into a tight ball and half hiding under the covers. Hiccup about melted—she was the cutest thing at this hour. He nearly gushed with cute feels, but he tried again with a breathy laugh.

"Come on, baby, wake up."

"Mmmmm… go 'way…" She mumbled, halfheartedly waving her hand in his direction.

Hiccup leaned closer and set his mouth above her ear. "Please?"

"No…" She whimpered, pulling the blanket over her head.

"Please?"

"Nooo…"

"Pretty please?"

"Gods Hiccup, go away!" Astrid finally snapped, lifting her arm and slapping him hard.

"Aaaand she's awake!" Hiccup crowed, then slapped his hands on his mouth. He heard nothing beyond the door, meaning her parents were still asleep. Whew. Lowering his voice again, he said, "Come on, I want to show you something."

"Hiccup, seriously? What time is it?" Astrid sat up on her elbows, rubbing her eyes.

"Nearly six?"

"And by the questioning inflection you mean it is just after five and you are hoping that it is later."

"Well… maybe?"

"Ugh come on, I'm tired-" Astrid rolled onto her back in annoyance.

"Please?" Hiccup whined, leaning onto the bed. He could still feel the warmth in the sheets from where she had lain for hours. "I've been waiting for this day since I came home! I want to show you everything…"

"Can't it wait til a more normal hour? The market isn't going anywhere."

"Maybe not but the items _inside_ the market will. We'll get the best, freshest stuff."

"I don't care, I wanna sleep." Astrid flipped onto her left side and curled up, turning her back to him. "Come back at seven."

Hiccup pouted. He didn't want to go wait in his room for another two hours. He wanted to get the day started with the woman he loved… and she was being stubborn, placing sleep over him. Who did that?

Then he had an idea. Smirking evilly he crawled onto the bed halfway and leaned over her. Hovering over her ear, he murmured, "There's mint involved." He nearly laughed when Astrid's eyes instantly opened, but she would not be deterred.

She snuggled deeper into her pillow. "The mint isn't going anywhere either."

"It could be gone by seven. Every. Last. Leaf." Hiccup droned. He paused, mentally counting down in his head. Three…two…one…

Right on cue, Astrid turned over to face him, his face now looming directly over hers. She smiled sleepily, "You realize I do love mint… but even that is not incentive to make me lose sleep."

Hiccup pouted with a slight huff. "Come on… Let's get the day started. Early. Before all the people come out and before the big-wigs will want to talk to me all day. We don't even have to go to the market yet, we can go swimming for all I care. I just want to spend some time with you."

Astrid smiled at the swimming comment. There was no way they would be going swimming in the cold ocean water at a whopping five am. But she sighed, brushing a finger through his hair. "You are so ridiculous."

He tried to shrug but the weight resting on his elbows prevented it from being effective. "I try."

Astrid placed her hands on his face and pulled him down for a slow, warm kiss. She caressed his lips with hers, tilting her head to the right. Hiccup sighed, deepening the kiss when her fingers made their way into his hair. Then he quickly pulled back before they got carried away, given the situation. "Okay, no more of that. Are you coming or going back to sleep?"

Astrid breathed a sigh, both wishing they could just be married already and wishing she was still very tired so she could go back to sleep. But all that whining and pestering and then kissing, she was now very much awake. The prospect of mint did sound delightful though. Ohh maybe she could find some tea somewhere… She sighed heavily. "Fine."

"Yes!" Hiccup whispered an excited squeal and jumped up. He gasped when his prosthetic caught on a bag and he teetered in mid-air for a moment before catching his balance. He looked up at his fiancée with pursed lips. "That was close." Astrid lay there staring at him with a deadpan expression. "What?"

"Well are you going to stand there and watch me get dressed like an immoral pig, or are you going to give me some privacy? We're not married yet, lover boy."

Hiccup snorted, already walking toward the door. "I'm going, I'm going."

As soon as he was out the door Astrid huffed and threw the covers off. In truth she was excited for this day as well. She knew he wanted to show her lots of new things that he had learned about or discovered on his travels, whether it be foods, clothing materials, drinks, or people. She put together an outfit before undoing and restyling her braid and putting her headband on. She washed her face, brushed her teeth with some water and a minty paste Hiccup had concocted and looked at herself in the mirror for a moment. Yes, even though she got ready in the dark, she seemed to look nice enough to be the heir of the Hooligans' fiancée.

She stepped out of her room, closing the door behind her. Hiccup stood by the door impatiently, yet his face brightened when he saw her. She raised an eyebrow when she stopped in front of him, silently asking what that expression was for. Hiccup reached down and kissed her lips chastely. "You are so pretty." He smiled, then quickly grabbed her hand. "Okay, let's go!"

He yanked her out the door and into the street, where Astrid loudly huffed. "So when we have to run early drills for the Academy, I have to pound on your door for half an hour to get you out of bed but now-"

"The Academy has nothing on the marketplace! Now come on!"

Astrid nearly laughed at the excitement in his voice and bubbling through him. He looked and sounded every bit like a kid on Snoggletog eve, enthralled by the exciting culture differences around him and all the new information. This event was a pastry store for him—he clearly couldn't get enough of it. She tucked her fingers in between his as they walked, wondering if to strangers they were as cute as she felt they were.

"I wish I could've travelled with you." Astrid said after a few moments of silence.

Hiccup nodded. "Me too. But it was necessary."

Astrid deeply inhaled the crisp morning air, allowing it to cleanse her senses and fill her lungs. "Yep."

The couple marched through the town square and made their way through the streets of Brawn. Other early birds walked through the village, greeting them as they walked by. Hiccup didn't recognize anyone as of yet but everyone knew who he was, even without Toothless at his side. His dragon companion had taken to exploring the village around the same time had Hiccup woken up. He honestly hoped the Night Fury wasn't getting into trouble. Though the prospect of the giant lizard behaving himself was extremely unlikely; he was probably stealing cod from some poor soul's cart.

The farther into the marketplace the couple walked, various smells wafted to them. Astrid soon realized she was very hungry and was beginning to grow more thankful for this early time out before the village swarmed with people. Her fiancé was right—they would get freshest goodies.

"You brought money right?" Astrid asked. She had left her money in her room amongst her other belongings.

Hiccup gave her a lopsided grin, jingling the bag at his waist. "Can't feed my woman without money."

"I am sure you would try."

"And how would I do that?"

"I don't know," Astrid pondered, her fingers brushing some ornate rugs as they walked by. "Something ridiculous."

"Or something cunning, like my dashing good looks." Hiccup quipped.

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Careful. Wouldn't want your head to be bigger than it already is."

Hiccup slapped a hand to his chest, feigning offense. "I cannot believe you just said that! I am offended-"

"Oh stop your whining and buy me some food before I get violent." Astrid dragged him toward the nearest bread cart.

Hiccup laughed, trotting to catch up to her. "Fine fine. What would milady like?"

Astrid ordered a couple buns stuffed with cheese and a small container of jelly to dip it in. The couple continued walking and chatting as they ate, poking fun at each other all the while. Their playful banter was amusement enough to make almost anyone they passed smile.

Hiccup wrapped his fingers around her elbow and steered her to another cart. This one held dozens of small wooden buckets on the shelves and on the ground, each filled to the brim with small round or oddly shaped snacks. Astrid's brow furrowed. "What are these?"

"These are what they call nuts. I am not sure where they come from, but they are supposedly really good for you." Hiccup filled a bag of different kinds of nuts, then paid the vendor. He bid them good day and bustled off to another customer, while Astrid plunged her hand into the bag of nuts.

She lifted a handful out, poking her finger at the various kinds. She held up one in particular that had lots of bumps and weird squiggle shapes. "Those are called walnuts." Hiccup informed her, munching on a few himself.

Astrid popped it in her mouth and her face screwed in interest. It has a mild woody flavor but it was strangely addicting. Soon she was popping many of the other kinds in her mouth while Hiccup informed her of each kind—almonds, peanuts, pine nuts, chestnuts. Her favorite of the bunch had to be cashews though.

Astrid faced the vender's booth again, looking at some small jars of a tan paste. "What is that?"

Hiccup shrugged. "I don't know, I think it is made from peanuts. Somehow they mash them up and put it in a jar. Supposedly good on bread."

Astrid ordered a small container for a couple coins and dunked her finger inside. She licked her lips and shrugged after a moment. "It's not bad."

Hiccup took a generous dollop on his finger and plunged it into his mouth. He cocked his head as if to agree, but paused when he couldn't swallow. The glob of peanut butter (as the vendor had excitedly called it) stuck to the roof of his mouth stubbornly and he struggled to force it down his throat.

Astrid raised her eyebrow at his facial expression, lips puckered, eyes squinted. "You okay?"

"Toomfsticky."

"What?

"Issstoomfsticky"

"What?"

"TOOMFSTICKY!"

Astrid cackled with laughter when he finally managed to swallow the pasty substance. He shivered as it went down, wiggling his arms in disgust. "Never again. Blech." Astrid still giggled behind her hand so he stuck his finger in her ribs, making her step away. "Don't laugh, that was almost frightening! I couldn't get it off the roof of my mouth! My tongue was actually getting tired!"

"Oh don't be a baby-" Astrid rolled her eyes.

"Baby? I am not a baby! This could've been serious! Death by peanut butter!" Hiccup stomped after her when she walked away. "What if I hadn't been able to swallow it? It could've been stuck in my throat!"

"Would you relax! Sheesh!" Astrid sighed over her shoulder.

Hiccup smirked, jogging to catch up. He snuck a hand around her waist and sniffed. "Fine. If you really don't care all that much-"

"Oh please, don't be a sourpuss."

Hiccup laughed out loud. "Sourpuss? What does that even mean?" Astrid nudged him away with her elbow with a grin. "Are you making your own book for definitions now?"

"Hiccup-"

"I can see it now. The Haddock Dictionary, written by Astrid Hofferson Haddock. It would be beautiful. Maybe then I wouldn't be the only crazy person."

"You will _always_ be the crazy person. No doubts about that." Astrid smirked before stopping.

Hiccup paused as well, looking at her expectantly. "What?"

"I'm thirsty. All those nuts or something."

Hiccup gazed around before spotting a few carts with water and some other drinks close by. "Oh! I wanted to show you this, come on!" He grabbed her hand and nearly dragged her to a vendor's booth.

"Ow, would you relax? I'd like to keep my arm in its socket!" Astrid yanked her hand away when he stopped.

"We'll take one waterskin and two cups of coffee." Hiccup relayed to the vender.

Astrid raised an eyebrow. "Coff… what? What's caw-fee?"

"Coffee." Hiccup smiled at her. "The best thing discovered since dragon riding."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "That explains the excitement."

Hiccup accepted the two steaming cups while Astrid took the waterskin from the vendor. She tied the skin to her belt, then accepted from her fiancé a cup of the steaming dark brown substance. Her eyebrows furrowed as she sniffed the liquid. "This looks weird…"

"I will admit that I was skeptical at first too, but it is great! You can even add some sugar cubes or milk, or both! Heck, you could add _mint_ if you wanted to!"

The vastness of Hiccup's excitement was beginning to worry her. She watched in fascination as he bounced on his heels in excitement while he blew on his cup. Clearly he had missed coffee after returning home. His cup was gone as soon as it was cool enough to drink (which wasn't a lot, but he didn't complain about burning his tongue if he did at all).

He set his cup in a basket to return to the vender and slumped when he saw she hadn't tasted it yet. "Come on, try it!"

Astrid slowly blinked her eyes at him with a blank expression, to which he sighed. "Don't make me make you drink that-"

"Hiccup, relax. You're so antsy." Astrid smirked before taking a tentative sip. Then she recoiled with a light cough. "Holy…" Another cough. "What in Odin's name is this?"

"It's coffee? It's made from a bean of some kind-"

"A _bean_? This is weird. Ugh, water." Astrid reached for her skin but three sugar cubes and two mint leaves suddenly dunked into the cup. She stared at the mint leaves morosely. Why would he destroy such beautiful, wonderful leaves of heavenly goodness in this cup full of rank liquid ground and steamed from a _bean_? Why?

"What's that look for? You aren't seriously mourning the mint leaves are you?" Hiccup raised an eyebrow. He sighed lgihtly before setting his hands on her shoulders. "They made a worthy sacrifice and have died an honorable death, certainly worthy of Valhalla. No need to be upset-" He laughed out loud when she slapped his arm.

Astrid huffed and held the cup out for him to take. "You drink it. I'll stick to tea, water and the occasional mead. Okay?"

Hiccup shrugged. "To each his own I guess." He pulled the soggy mint leaves out of the cup, smirked when Astrid watched them fall to the ground in a soggy heap, and down the cup moments later. He worked his jaw when a lump of sugar that hadn't dissolved found its way into his mouth. He set the cup in the basket alongside the other one and faced her again. "But at least you tried it."

"Yep, one sip is enough for me."

"I could live off that stuff. Imagine the things I could create at a whopping 3 AM with a cup or two of that!"

"And that right there is why it is forbidden on Berk." Astrid grabbed his hand and steered him away from the coffee cart.

"Says who?"

"Says me. Right now. And I am talking to your father about this." When Hiccup began to splutter further on the matter, she hushed him. "No, you are not keeping me up every night for the rest of our lives due to this… caffee stuff."

"Coffee. It's coffee…" Hiccup faked a hurt expression.

"Whatever." Astrid picked up her pace when she noticed a cart surrounded by women and a few men. "What's over there?"

Hiccup followed her gaze and smiled. "Oh, that is the chocolate cart. Asgard help us all, we may never leave."

Astrid faced the cart again curiously, noting how many females were at the cart. She wasn't typically one for peer pressure, but she did have a curious streak in some areas. This was one such area. Her eyes met Hiccup's, silently questioning. He finally sighed. "Alright alright, let's go."

Astrid smiled. "It can't be that bad."

"Oh no, it is good stuff for sure. Girls just have the tendency to go nuts over it."

Minutes later Astrid was fingering a very small bag of small dark brown pieces of chocolate. She remembered the coffee, skeptical as to what these would taste like. Hiccup said they were sweet, not bitter like coffee but she couldn't help her insecurity. She placed a small piece in her mouth and chewed it slowly, Hiccup watching steadily beside her.

Her eyes widened and she looked back at the bag in her hand. She looked up at Hiccup, who had an amused yet worried expression on her face. She placed a few more pieces in her mouth before snatching the money bag out of his hand. "Gimme."

"Ah ah!" Hiccup grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "You are not buying the entire cart."

"But-"

"Nope! Chocolate isn't cheap and I only have so much money. We still have two more days to be here. I'll get you some more later but not now." Hiccup finally stopped her from rampaging toward the cart. She poured a mouthful of chocolate into her mouth directly from the bag and she stared at him tersely through her bangs.

"I will hold you to it." She remarked with a full mouth, turning so fast her braid slapped him in the cheek. He scratched the offended skin, pausing a moment to realize he needed to shave (again…), then trotted after his fiancée. He mentally sighed, knowing that if he wanted to survive to see his wedding day he would need to buy more chocolate. He knew Astrid could grow potentially vicious if she wanted something and didn't get it. The first winter without saving mint leaves proved to be dangerous indeed. Thor help him if she had cravings when she was pregnant someday.

"Hiccup!" The couple stopped to see Kiev and Stoick walking down the street.

Hiccup faced her wistfully for a moment but she waved him ahead, lifting her bag of goodies. "Go ahead, I'll just be over here."

"Okay." Hiccup walked across the street to join the chiefs while Astrid walked toward a section of carts that held vibrant colored cloths. There were turquoise, purple, red, green and even yellow colored materials. A few vibrant patterns stood out to her that she had never seen before, such as multi-colored plaid. It was interesting for sure.

"Pretty materials for a pretty girl."

Astrid looked up to face the vendor, but he was talking to another customer. He hadn't spoken to her at all. She turned the other direction to find a tall russet haired young man leaned against the cart and watching her with a smile. She ignored his comment and turned back to the cart.

He stifled a laugh, looking around the growing crowd. "You alone?"

"What's it to you?" She dared, piercing his blue eyes with her own.

He pursed his lips and cocked his head. "Well it wouldn't do for someone such as yourself to be wandering the village alone."

"First off, I am hardly alone, the streets are almost filled with people. Second, I can take care of myself. Third-"

"Lots of girls say that these days. But can you _really_ take care of yourself?" He asked, expression playful.

Astrid scowled. She hated being interrupted and being flirted with by someone other than Hiccup even more. "Yes, I can. You don't want to mess with me."

"Oh, so you're feisty then?"

"I prefer to think of it as dangerous." Astrid glared when he took a step closer.

"Aw come on, you can't be that bad."

"You know, you should never judge a book by its cover, Vael." A voice interrupted behind him. Vael turned to see Hiccup standing there with his arms crossed. Astrid walked past him and stood beside her fiancé with a slight smirk.

Vael's eyes widened. "Wait, you're Astrid? _She's_ your fiancée?" His looked jumped to Astrid. "Why didn't you tell me you were engaged? I would've backed off!"

"Yeah, sure Vael." Hiccup rolled his eyes. He knew a lot of men ogled Astrid; he wasn't blind or naïve enough to believe that.

Vael lifted his hands in a sincere apology. "Hey, I might be heir to the Rude Runians but I'm not that bad. It wouldn't be right or appropriate for me to mess with another man's woman."

Hiccup frowned a little, wanting to argue that Astrid wasn't just some item to fight other men for. But he kept his mouth closed and decided to change topics. "So how long did it take your tribe to get here?"

Vael rolled his eyes lightly. "Three days."

"Could've made it in half that time on dragons," Hiccup sang.

"Oh I am all for it, believe you me." Vael leaned against the cart again with crossed arms. "It's my mother you need to convince."

"Ahh yes. Scarlett Deathblow." Hiccup nodded. "She's a hard case."

Vael snorted. "You don't have to live with her."

"What's so bad about a woman chief?" Astrid asked the two men.

Hiccup bit his lip. "Nothing at all, she is just very… How would you describe it-"

"Feminist?" Vael shrugged. "Not that it is bad to promote females as equal to males, but she is under the impression that females are _superior _to males."

"Doesn't sound bad to me," Astrid winked at Hiccup.

Hiccup scoffed. "Ohhhh I'm sure you will change your mind. She isn't very nice sometimes."

"Who said anything about being nice?" Astrid quipped.

Vael grinned. "Oh she would like you. She would like you _a lot_." Then his face fell. "But not me. Nope. She has very little faith in me as future chief, can't carry a simple conversation without throwing in lectures on why some female heir would have been much nicer than this. I mean look at me! Sure I'm not large and beefy, same as you, but I can do a lot! But no. Not good enough."

Astrid deadpanned at the young man. What a whiner. Hiccup cocked his head, knowing somewhat how he felt, but those days were long over. "What about Colt?"

"Ha! Colt," Vael shook his head. "Colt is a cowardly wuss. If I didn't stick my neck out for him half the time, who knows where he'd be."

Hiccup shrugged. "He seemed like a nice kid."

"That's another thing, he's just too nice. He gives in to people too easily. Can't stick up for himself to save his life, but rather would walk away instead. That's why everyone calls him Colt the Cowardly. Plain and simple."

"Well for as much ragging as he seems to get from both you and your mom, I don't blame him. Walking away from a fight doesn't make you cowardly." Astrid frowned.

"You're right, it doesn't. But walking away from _every_ fight does."

Hiccup sighed. This was the type of conversations he had with Vael upon his visit to Rune. Complaining about mom, bashing the little brother, a few quips on Hiccup's stature. Vael wasn't a bad guy, but he wasn't really Hiccup's cup of tea to drink either.

"Well as enlightening as this conversation has been, we have to go," Hiccup turned to Astrid. "I have a meeting with the chiefs at one, so we have a few more hours."

Astrid nodded, ignoring Vael still standing there. "Okay, let's go for a flight. I need some fresh air."

Hiccup walked after her down the street, lightly brushing his way past Vael. The other heir grabbed his arm to stop him. "Hey," Vael looked down at him with a smile, being three inches taller than Hiccup. "Really, I meant no harm. By flirting with Astrid I mean."

Hiccup pursed his lips. "I'll let it go this time, but next time neither of us will hold back. You'll easily lose a few teeth by a fist, but as to whose fist? Well," Hiccup breathed a laugh, slapping his arm. "Only one way to find out."

Vael snickered. "You're tougher than you look, but I was always told never to push your line."

Hiccup wagged his finger at him as he rejoined Astrid, but gave him a rueful smile. "And don't you forget it."

Vael watched the couple leave the marketplace, noticing as Astrid slipped her hand in Hiccup's as they walked, their fingers intertwining. It wasn't often that a couple was together because they wanted to be, especially where a tribal heir was concerned. Clearly they wanted to be together. He was happy for them; it was something he hoped for someday. For the time being, an arranged marriage was the only possibility in his sights (and not by choice). And knowing his mother, she already had some perfect female picked out for him already. Mentally rolling his eyes at the possibility, he trudged back into the fray of people in search of his friends. He needed to relax before this supposed meeting for the tribal leaders and heirs that would be held at one. Only ways to relax on a busy day like this was a group of solid friends and a mug of mead.

**Holy mackerel, this chapter is so massive… I hope it wasn't too daunting for you guys ;) I have some other interesting things planned for the next chapter, which I imagine will be pretty long as well. Can't wait to upload it!**

**This is the first full day of the Peace Treaty, which is mainly full of fun at the marketplace, selling and trading items, and then some sports as well. The actual Treaty will take place the second full day and everyone leaves from one to two days later. It is basically a long weekend celebration in which all the tribes enjoy each other's company and reconnect with old friends.**

**And yes yes, I know peanut butter and coffee were probably not really treats in those days for Vikings, but Gobber took a stab at "frozen yak's milk" in a Defenders of Berk episode. We can and will dream! ;) Makes for good humor at any rate.**

**OH! I must leave this subtle note as well… recently I have received a pretty harsh flame concerning this story. I rarely get complaints on anything and when I do, those reviews are full of constructive criticism on how to improve the chapter, future chapters or the story as a whole. Whether it be grammar, plot, character development, writing style, format, I don't care what it is, I am willing to hear all constructive helps! If they are in fact **_**constructive**_**. So with that thought in mind, please be nice guys ;) But I've only gotten one super flame that upset me badly; the rest of you are super sweet and are my super fans! Keep up the ****great**** support!**

**Thanks again to KateMarie999 for all the help in proofreading this butt-load of a chapter! You are AWESOME!**

**~EmK**


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